Christmas Time!

As I type this my father is upstairs watching The Great Escape, which seems to be on every single year at around this time,  and my mother is in bed as she's feeling ill again this year, bless her. She was ill last year which meant that we ended up having a second Christmas day on the 26th and I keep telling her that I really don't mind doing that again this year but she feels really guilty all the same. So, tomorrow, not only do I get to see the wonderful Kim but I also get Christmas dinner with the family. Really not complaining on that account!

Other than the little blip with regard to my poor mother, I've been having a wonderful time back in England. The flight on Sunday was really easy and turbulence free, I got the really friendly gentleman at UK border control, my case arrived pretty early on the conveyor... I came out of the airport grinning like a manic ready to be met by my parents. 

In fact, on impulse, we went straight to an Indian restaurant we've been going to since I was about five years old and it really did feel like a home coming! 

No, this is not a representative British Christmas tree but it will do nicely!

On Monday, we came down to Somerset where we're staying in a little rented cottage for the Christmas period as the house up in Birmingham is still nowhere near finished. We're actually staying about four miles out of Glastonbury and, as you can imagine, I'm quite happy about that. The cottage itself is on a cider farm and we were given some bottles of their cider as part of a welcome package... as you can imagine, my dad's quite happy about that.

On Christmas Eve we always set out a load of food (that, quite frankly lasts us through most of January), and have a buffet dinner. This year was no exception so we all snuggled upstairs in a little sofa/TV nook with really nice food and Rapalje's DVD on as that kind of music is something my whole family really enjoys, albeit in different ways. It was lovely to be able to chill together, that being the best bit about Christmas.

There is no risk of us running out of cheese for a long, long while.
Some of it's even Dutch ;-)

This morning was obviously not so great because Mum wasn't feeling great but we attempted to start the day as we normally do with everyone getting dressed up and then gathering upstairs to open gifts and so on. We'd normally have a breakfast first and also take the opening of presents really slowly with mince pies on tap but that wasn't really the case this year which is a bit of a shame but more than understandable. I don't mind as long as we get to have a nice 'Christmas' dinner together at some point which everyone is well enough to enjoy.

Talking about presents, I now appear to be the proud owner of a violin. There's a jokey thing in my family, started when I got my 'cello, that I get a new musical instrument every year for Christmas or my birthday - usually something considerably less pricey, mind you. Can't say I was expecting a violin but guessing it came from a combination of my moaning about not being able to transport the 'cello and my mother's love for fiddle music. And before you ask, nope, I can't play. I do apologise to my neighbours back in Amsterdam... they're going to love me ;-)

Apparently I am learning to play whether I want to or not!
(Incidentally, I do!)

Also got given a bike puncture repair kit... I think my dad was trying to make a point there! So yeah, if you're one of my Dutch friends reading this and I get a puncture... you'll have to make good use of this kit as heaven only knows I wouldn't have an idea as to what to do!!

So that's my England-time so far. Feels so good to be back in the land of hills and with people I've known for years even if I am missing everyone else like mad. So, until my next post, whether you are celebrating, have celebrated, or are soon to celebrate any festival I wish you a wonderful time, surrounded by those you love.

Book review - 'The City and the City' by China Miéville

Rating: 2.75/5 stars

Plot:

"When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other."

-from the novel's blurb

Review:

For an inhabitant of Besźel there is one main rule, do not notice your neighbouring city of Ul Qona. The problem? The neighbouring city is not neighbouring at all but physically in the same space, differentiated by cultural aspects such as architecture, clothing, gait. If you live in Besźel, you quickly learn not to see the other city because to do so would be to invoke the mysterious powers of Breach... and to disappear.

A body left in Besźel. Tyador Borlú is given the job of investigating the crime. However, this leads to him getting caught up in an investigation which seems increasingly tangled in a web of politics, cover-ups, and even mythology, by the moment. With the amount at stake growing by the moment, and Tyador becoming more and more personally involved in the case, he is forced to travel to the Other city to attempt to solve the mystery. However, there are forces at work above and beyond the police and solving this case may not be as easy as it seems.

The premise is strange but profound. Although the murder and the surrounding details make up the plot line, it is the concept of the overlapping cities, and the rarely seen but always present Breach, that truly dominates this piece. From that point of view, it was fascinating. Miéville has constructed a world that obeys these strange rules out of fear but also without mental questioning as to why. There's sense that things must be this way but no explanation. In this way, and from the context from which I read this novel, it highlights the futility and stupidness of our own racism and social structures. The novel takes to the extreme the way in which we as humans will attempt to 'not see' groups that are different... just because.

However, it is also this location which makes the book difficult. The hundred pages or so, for me, were a whirl of fighting with place names, people names, concepts. While the instability with regard to names was probably intentional, it made the piece a lot harder to get into.

The plot itself, and the murder case, was twisting and winding. You felt the frustration of police on both sides as they were offered tiny leads yet hit walls at every turn, both in their own city and because of the other city. However, it was also hard to follow some of the link ups. Towards the end it rather felt like Tyador had some Sherlock Holmes-esque epiphanies that us mere mortals could never achieve. In the background of this otherwise gritty and realistic-ish book, that really stood out to me.

I did, however, struggle with this book more generally. The style wasn't my cup of tea. The pacing didn't work for me. The characters and the plot - fascinating. Sadly, I just never fell into the tale and so the amazing work that was obviously contained in this novel had much less effect than I had hoped it would.



The City and the City is available in both Kindle and Paperback format from Amazon... and hardback if you want to pay a tonne!




I read this book for my Cities and Cultures class and therefore scheduled this review to post after the course finished so there was no risk of self plagiarising should I have been called to write on it!

Musings on the film 'Synecdoche, New York'

Synecdoche, New York is the kind of film I would not normally choose to watch but, as it was part of my Cities and Cultures class, I simply had no choice. Actually, the premise itself sounds really interesting as it's about a theatre directer who, in his desire to create a piece of art that is essentially true, creates a replica of New York in a warehouse. He populates his city with doubles of people he has seen around, people he knows, and even himself. As such, the reality of life is revealed... or that's kinda the idea.

If I was watching this film as a casual thing, I would not have got beyond the first few minutes. The scenes are shot and jumpy, deliberately disorientating. It almost impossible to become attached to characters who are either fundamentally flawed or shown from such a skewed angle. Scenes are excruciatingly mundane or absurdly disturbing and there's no real middle ground. It would be very easy to just stop watching.

So, from that viewpoint, I would not recommend this film at all. What I would recommend, however, is watching the last 15 minutes or so of the film. Without including spoilers it's hard to explain the context or contents but the ending of the film is profound. I didn't enjoy the thing but the ending had me in tears. I showed it to my mother who hadn't watched the rest of the film. It had her in tears. There's something vulnerable and human shown in these last few minutes, something that is lacking from the rest of the film. It's not fun watching but if you fancy a few minutes of depression then this bit'll do the trick!

However, as I said, this was a film that was included in one of my courses which meant that I looked at it from an academic view point as well as a casual view point. While, as a casual watcher I was totally turned off, the film provides so many interesting features that can be expanded to give deeper meaning, to explain why it feels disorientating, to do so many things. It might not be to my taste but this film is certainly a masterpiece in its own way.

If you're interested then it's probably worth googling some of the trivia around it but of particular interest to me:

• The book/plays mentioned within the film - what do the themes of those texts add to the themes of the film? 
• The use of time references within the film. Although you may not notice a progression of time, try and work out when each thing takes place and be aware it's not so simple! The first scene has a different time/date referenced every few lines. The time in the final scene of the film is one minute on from the time of the opening scene. It's really playing with this concept and it's an interesting device!
• People's names also may give extra insight into aspects of the film.

There are loads of other things but those were aspects that I particularly enjoyed spotting, and also used in my writing on the subject!

So, while Synecdoche, New York may not have been my favourite film ever - quite the opposite - it was an interesting piece of art. And anyway, I got a really good grade writing about it so I guess I can't complain ;-)

This piece was written about a week after watching the film. I scheduled it to post after finishing the course so that I was not in a position of accidentally plagiarising myself if called upon to write around the piece!

Musings on 'Sunrise: a song of two humans'

Sunrise: a song of two humans was the first film I had to watch for my Cities and Cultures class and, as such, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Mind you, I'm still not sure what to expect from Cities and Cultures sources!

Sunrise is a silent film from 1927 to which music was added after initial filming but prior to release. It tells the story of a man, who lives with his wife and child in the country, but falls for a woman from the city. This city woman talks him into killing his wife but, unable to do it, the man and wife end up spending the day in the city where their relationship is reevaluated.

The Man with The Woman from the City

The story itself is simple and sweet, I guess, if attempted wife-murder is your thing. Admittedly, we all wondered why she stayed with him after the whole 'attempt on life'  bit but if one overlooks that plot point then it's a sweet story! The format allows the film to explore various city settings and happenings. Something which is nice about the story-line is the way it's split into modular events which often have comic elements and are really nicely played.

Visually, this film offers some really exciting moments. In particular, the fairground scene is larger than life and rather stunning. The use of light and dark is used to great effect. Camera tricks whereby the actors walk through traffic and so on are very neatly done and rather ahead of their time.

The Man and his Wife in the city

The only thing that, I feel, let the film down was the score itself. While I know that not everyone agrees with me, I felt that the music was quite separate from the film itself and seemed to be tacked on as opposed to having a feeling of unity. It's not a big deal but it was something that I noticed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It was light, short and easy to watch. It was also available on youtube when I was studying it so, if your interested, you may just find it there!

This piece was written about a month after watching the film so it's not as detailed as it could have been! I scheduled it to post after finishing the course so that I was not in a position of accidentally plagiarising myself if called upon to write around the piece. Images are from IMDb

I'm free! I'm free! (etc. etc.)

My final essay has just been submitted and I'm sat here surrounded by the chaos that comes from panic studying without having spent time tidying up that Christmas party of a few days ago. The empty mince pie box is totally my doing though... eating six in one day when stress-writing is perfectly socially acceptable, right?

It's really strange to think that I've been living here for close to half a year now, my first semester (sans weird intensive period) is finished. Thank goodness. Now that I'm free my brain is trying to work out what I should do first... paint or translate or tidy or scrapbook or edit photos or or or... yeah, who am I kidding? I'm going into hibernation ;-)

Lets be honest, I've been essay writing from a sleeping bag.
We've been at hibernation point for some time now!

All joking aside, the last couple of days have been really strange, saying goodbye to the people I have essentially been living with. These people have seen me on my squint days, in my pajamas, been in my flat at its messiest (not all at the same time). They've come to see more of me than most people I've known for years and, in that regard, some of the most intense bonds have been formed. It's strange but quite brilliant. What's even stranger is the fact that we're all suddenly being flung around the globe once again. Okay, it's only for two weeks but it's still rather bizarre. That is something that will never fail to amaze me, the way people here are just so wonderful and the way we've gelled. Better start saving up for a miracle waterproof mascara for graduation!

That said, I simply cannot wait to go home. I've been getting emails from my technically inept father with a count down for some days now. Actually, just realised he's a day out and someone should probably tell him I'm flying on Sunday, not tomorrow... oops.

The fact that it's Christmas just makes it all even better. Just being around family and old friends with glittery things and lights and warmth and good food sounds like heaven right now. Okay, it sounds like heaven every year but especially after being away from home for so long. Annoyingly, I have no idea where my Christmas elf outfit is so I'll have to dig that out so I can dress up to give presents to my little nephews again this year!!

Yes, in case you have got this far and haven't guessed, I'm both excited and exhausted. This has been your complete stream of consciousness blog for tonight. Now I'm going to go and see about this hibernation idea!!

Book review - 'City of Glass' by Paul Auster

Rating: 4/5 stars

Plot:

"A detective-story writer named Quinn becomes involved in a bizarre case. A phone call from a man who believes someone is trying to kill him leads to a case more mysterious than anything Quinn could concoct. In this tale of strange reversals and shifts of identity, a character named "Paul Auster" makes an appearance as a man obsessed with Quinn's story."

-from 'City of Glass' on Goodreads

Review:

My first response having read this novel was "I loved it but I didn't understand it!" and, to be fair, that remains my overall impression. I think it's a novel that can be enjoyed on many, many levels but the best way to enjoy it is to go with the flow. I doubt anyone understands everything, if everything can even be understood, and perhaps the best thing to do is just read without attempting to make sense of every plot point.

That said, Auster's novel asks the reader to engage with the lead character, an author, as he takes on the role of a detective, also, confusingly, called Paul Auster. Despite his lack of 'real' qualifications, the character is keen to solve the mystery and become Auster the detective and we struggle alongside him even as the detective genre is turned on its head.

I wouldn't have read this book if it wasn't set as a part of my Cities and Cultures (Urban Studies) class but I am so pleased that I did. It's got some elegant writing and some really interesting and unusual views into humanity. As a source for that course it was worthwhile but as a novel in its own right it was fascinating. This hardly counts as a review because I don't know how to sum it up, certainly not without spoiling the plot or becoming overly academic due to studying it, but there we go!

City of Glass is available as part of the New York Trilogy in both Kindle and Paperback format from Amazon.




I read this book for my Cities and Cultures class and therefore scheduled this review to post after the course finished so there was no risk of self plagiarising should I have been called to write on it!

The imaginatively titled SeeD and Omnia post

This is one of those posts that is quite simply going to make no sense... something to do with the time of night. However, it's either that or it won't get written with the way life is going so there we go. It's also going to be hardly any writing and a couple of pictures... not so interesting ;-)

The support act of the evening, SeeD (*), were great. I'd heard a bit by them but this was the first time seeing them live and it was certainly worthwhile. I'd really like to see them again and will certainly be buying their album when it's launched. 

With SeeD after the show

Omnia's show was high energy, as always, and the crowd seemed rather into it which always helps to build a good atmosphere. There were a group behind us, who I believe were from Italy, who were just having so much fun! While I don't agree with everything that Omnia says - and it kinda matters because they're rather outspoken - it was great to dance along to music that I really know and with friends, once again. I was also pleased that they played the tracks I had managed to get into off the new-ish album Earth Warrior. All in all, an enjoyable show!

Thijs got cut out and the photo's poor but with Omnia.

It was also lovely to hang around afterwards a bit and soak up the open atmosphere that seems to come hand in hand with folk music. Special shout out to the girl who complimented my hair so kindly when we were queuing together! That said, apologies to anyone and everyone who spoke with Thijs and/or Hester and who had to suffer my seemingly antisocialness... my Dutch comprehension may be improving but I am quite incapable of conversing!

Almere selfie time!

So yeah. Great time. Going to collapse in bed now as I have an essay to fight with and several exams to revise for tomorrow :-(

(*) I still don't know how to format the band name... oops.

This post is not for facebook because even through my exhaustion I know it makes no sense!!!

The things I do for Reckless Love

I guess that flying to England for a show is one of the more extravagant things I've done in my time. That said, the fact I got to eat curry from the restaurant I've visited since I was three, got to have a bath, oh, and see old friends made it all worth it. Wednesday day was dedicated to dress shopping with my mother and The Best Friend, while the evening was set aside for a bit of music!

Me, Jessica, Aimee, Kim. Waiting to go in, trying not to freeze!
From Jessica's camera,

Queuing in the cold and the rain is always one aspect of the gig experience that I dread but then ultimately love. It's a complete social experience and before this show, in particular, it was a riot. It meant, in reality, that once we got inside there was a rather good fun little group formed of old friends, people I vaguely knew from other shows, and totally new faces. 

Kim, Jessica, Me, Aimee. Entertaining ourselves before the set began.

There was only one opening band this time, The First, a melodic rock band from Cambridgeshire. I will admit that their sound tech was not great but, from what I could hear, I think they were rather good. Certainly, I plan to look up some of their music and give it a proper try (and buy a CD if I do indeed like it). In addition, there is no way I can fault their live set. All members were engaged and energetic without seeming silly or OTT. It was a very strong performance. There was one moment when the vocalist decided to put a microphone in my face to get me to sing along which didn't work on two counts (recovering from a phobia of singing and I don't know their music) but, other than that, they really knew how to perform to a crowd.

The main act was, of course, Reckless Love. The Finnish glam rock-ish band who attempt, and succeed, in making every show a party. This night was no exception. If anything, Olli was more chatty with the crowd and I enjoyed watching Olli and Pepe, in particular, play to Jessica's camera.

One of Jessica's many photos from the show.

The set was great, as always. Although it was cut a little because of illness (not mine for once!) it was full of some great tracks and to just dance away was rather liberating. It really did help that both Jessica and Aimee are little party animals, albeit in different ways, so I simply could not help but dance, jump and bounce along.

However, Hessu, bless his heart, was quite clearly ill. Seriously, that man should not have been on the stage at all yet he soldiered on until all but the end. Ultimately the set was cut by a couple of songs but I feel incredibly lucky that we got a set at all. It would have been annoying as anything, of course, but completely understandable.

After the show we had a bit of a chat with Jalle, Olli and Pepe; Hessu quite rightly escaped to the bus and hopefully put himself to bed! We then had the joy of walking back to Aimee's house (and beyond for some of us) in the rain and wind of Wales. Wasn't the highlight of the evening but was worth it all the same.

One day, Pepe will forget about the pen incident. This was not that day.

A quick goodbye to The Best Friend and Kim kindly drove me to my hotel. We said goodnight but with the knowledge that the day after we would meet once again but this time in Amsterdam!

I can safely say this is the first time I've ever 'built' a tree.

The day before Zoë and I were due to fly to England the unthinkable happened. My (artificial) Christmas tree suddenly arrived. I know... a week late! Anyway, we hurriedly arranged the troops to make good on earlier plans to meet up and decorate.

I don't have to explain to you how much I love Christmas. If you know me at all then you will know that I'm the kind of person who bounces around for months in advance, listening to Christmas music, baking Christmas food (not so much here but wait til I get home!), making things glittery. I might not celebrate it as a religious festival but it still represents most things that I love about life and about winter, in particular. There's a true emphasis on togetherness and family and warmth. It's a few days when the world is shut out and peace does seem to reign, just for a while. Of course, it's how life should be generally but I'll not get into that.

Yes, this is what trees look like nowadays, children.

So anyway, the tree arrived and, with a bit of teamwork we managed to push it, in the giant box, through the building complex from Dania's room to mine. It wasn't exactly heavy but bulky... oh it was that!

Dania left for a while to work on an essay, leaving Zoë and me to attempt to assemble the tree ready for decorating. Okay, so I had a fake tree back home that I used to put in my room (in addition to a real tree downstairs). You'd kinda stand it up, pull the branches down from the centre and you were done. Oh no, not this one. This one came with an instruction manual in quite a few different languages as well as several rather odd looking parts. Okay, so it wasn't exactly complex in the end but you have no idea how much trouble we had putting this thing together.... kinda concerning when one thinks that we're both supposed to be somewhat intelligent, Zoë studying at Oxford and all that jazz.

Serious work going on here. Highly skilled labour.

It was then time for Leonoor and Dania to join us, with pizza, and for us all to chill and bit before making my room extra sparkly. Seriously, any excuse for a bit of a social evening and some junk food!

Lights. Eep.

Okay, so the first thing I noticed is that Christmas lights here are weird. I would say that it was just the ones I bought but Leonoor insisted that they're normal so I'm guessing it's a Dutch Christmas light issue. The string that they come on is circular. I don't know why this is the case because a looped string of lights have got to be less practical - what if I wanted to put them around the edges of my room? But yeah, there's an odd, seeming, difference from back in the UK ;-)

Having fought with the lights - they were not easy to get on the tree even with four of us working at it - it was time for the baubles to go on. I went to make tea like the good host, and put some mince pies in the oven. I came back and found my poor tree groaning under the weight of nearly 100 baubles. Okay, I exaggerate, and it does look good, but I had to laugh at the way my friends managed to attack the tree in about two minutes. It's so special though because it's been decorated by some of my special people it's an extra special tree to me.

Don't want to have to take it down!

Tah-dah!

Guess what? This post is not for facebook because it's been sitting in my drafts for waaaaay too long!

Midwinter Fair

So, I have decided that festivals and I simply do not mix. Seriously, right before this festival, having had nothing for months, I had a major flair up that meant I slept not a wink the night before and felt like utter crap for the Saturday (and not so great on the Sunday but there we go). That aside, I had a wonderful time but my photos were a bit lacking and the descriptions, no doubt, will be similarly so.

The Saturday was the long day of the Midwinter Fair so, in order to ensure we could get home again afterwards, Thijs, Zoë and I cycled to the central station. That's normally a really easy ride but with me in my stupid no sleep and no food state it took us a heckishly long time and I am so grateful to my companions for not getting really annoyed with me! Anyway, that adventure over we caught a couple of trains and arrived in Alphen aan den Rijn which is where the thing was held.

I can't say that I got to look around Alphen aan den Rijn much at all but the bits I saw were very sweet and rather pretty. When it starts to get a bit warmer, and with my newly purchased travel card, I may visit again to chill a bit in the sun. Definite bonus as the streets (etc) were named after continents, countries, and cities. The only place where, if you get lost, you literally go round the whole world in order to find your way ;-)

At the event

The Midwinter Fair itself was lovely. It's quite small which is actually really nice because, to be quite honest, there's only so many places you can be at once and only so many things you can do in a short period of time. On the Saturday and the Sunday we took things rather slowly and just enjoyed looking around and taking things in a bit.

The fact that it's held in a living museum (I think that's an accurate description) means that it's rather atmospheric. With old fashioned buildings from multiple time periods, tree lined winding paths and little streams with simple plank bridges it really does allow you to take a step back from the rush of modernity for just a little while. There were also some lovely food stands and a little market selling a mix of stuff from statues to clothes to drinking horns. Talking of which, I managed to buy some mead to take to England for Christmas so that's a definite bonus!

AmmA

As for the music, the first full set we caught was that of AmmA. I keep managing to catch a few songs by them but never a full performance so it was a bit unusual to sit at the side of the stage and watch from beginning to end. Really do love their sound though!

After a fair bit of exploring and lurking, which involved sitting round outside fires pretending that we were keeping warm and not simply getting a face full of smoke, we went to catch the evening shows of LEAF, Shireen, Harmony Glenn, and The Dolmen.

Poor LEAF had some technical issues setting up and so on which must have been so annoying for them. Kept the audience in suspense mind ;-)

Shireen are a group that I've had a very limited awareness of, hearing their EP when it was featured on Wyldwood radio, I think. I was really impressed by their sound, however, which is quite an open, somewhat jazzy and rocky one... I've not really described that well but yeah, they have their own sound, do it well, and stand out for it. 

Thijs and I have discussed our wish to see Harmony Glenn live at some point and this was our day. Oh my goodness, what performers. I think I can speak for both of us, and probably Zoë too, when I say that they were worth seeing. And I guess I'll be hoping to catch them again too! In fact, I can't help but think that my mother would love them so lets see if I can book tickets for one of their shows when she comes to visit.

My stunning friends enjoying the evening entertainment ;-)

Finally, The Dolmen closed up the evening with their loud rocky music. Actually, a gentleman asked Thijs is they were the "noise band" so I think that pretty much sums up The Dolmen!! This would be my fourth time, I think, seeing them in the Netherlands yet they are from just down the road of my old home in the UK so I'm still not sure how this has worked out. That aside, it felt wonderful just to let down my hair and dance/bob to the music with no care in the world. It always feels good to just let go but when you're listening to good music, with friends, and in the midst of a flurry of finals it is pure bliss, I tell you!

On the downside, I did have "Dead Cats Don't Meow" stuck in my head all night... I also fell asleep on Zoë on the way home but shhh, that's our secret!

Day two was just Zoë and me as Thijs was being sensible and working on the paper we both had to hand in on the Monday. His absence did mean I was suddenly the Zoë-translator of the onstage banter and explanations which was a rather scary position to be in with my beginners Dutch! We did quickly develop a series of shorthand between us for the most common concepts such as which could see speeches of a minute reduced to the concise version: "Buy our stuff" ;-)

During Sowulo's set

Anyway, the first act we saw on Saturday was Sowulo, another group whose music I knew but whom I had not yet managed to catch live. Their show is quite clearly a real experience and it was great to be in the audience. I mean, their music is something special in its own right but the energy that you get when you're in a room hearing it live... that gives it a whole new dimension. Thijs did insist that we saw them for a very good reason!

Zoë and I followed up by watching the full set of Kaunan as we'd only managed to see part of the set on Saturday. There was something lovely about the lack of pretense to their set. Everyone sat down on the floor (or a couple danced) and just listened to three men playing tunes with the odd bit of explanation and banter in between. It wasn't a performance per se, as much as I enjoy performances, and it was refreshing to see something so stripped back. The fact that we went to see them twice, and both wanted to, probably says something about the quality of the music here.

During Rapalje's set

Finally, it was Rapalje time! More dancing and singing along and generally enjoying myself. It seems they went down well with Zoë too so I'm classing that as an all round success. Wasn't quite so strange to see them without my family this time, possibly because I had a friend from home and possibly because I'm getting used to it... who knows!

It was certainly a good way to spend the weekend and I'm pleased that Zoë was there to share it with me, and Thijs too. 

This post is not for facebook because it is long, rambling, and late. Oops.

Sinterklaas

Today's the 5th of December which is celebrated as the feast day of Saint Nicolas or Sinterklaas. A few weeks back I blogged about the 'Saint's arrival' and finally the big day is here.

Although, from my understanding, a children's festival generally, my Dutch friends seemed pretty keen to celebrate together. As the festival seems to be celebrated through he eating of a lot of sweets, I was not going to resist.

Chocolate letters are another common gift with this
'B' for Bethany coming from Leonoor

Historically, the poor children would leave their shoes out where the rich could leave small gifts in honour of Saint Nicolas. Now, children still leave their shoes out, in the home, in the hope that they will be filled with sweets. AUC also allowed students to leave their shoes out during classes in order to receive gifts and, although it was pretty strange to randomly leave a shoe lying around, Leonoor and my mother managed to talk me into taking part. Luckily, we didn't take part in the aspect of the tradition whereby you sing to aforementioned shoe. I don't think I could have done that ;-)

After classes we all gathered at Leonoor's where she put on a veritable sweet feast for Dania, Sonja, Thijs, Laura and myself. We all hung around and ate and chatted and celebrated in the not so traditional way with wine and beer but there we go!

This photo kinda explains itself really ;-)

Of course, the evening only got better with the arrival of one of my old friends from college, Zoë, who, after missing her original flight, finally made it to Amsterdam. She joined in the fun and spent the evening talking in French with Leonoor who decided that it was obviously the best time to practice!!

Although Zoë and I left the 'party' a little early, planning to get a decent night's sleep we managed to stay up until the very early hours of the morning chatting away. It was unbelievably good to see her again, to chat, to reminisce, to be around someone with a shared history. I love my friends here, I really do, but you cannot force the bonds that form with time and, for this reason, seeing Zoë was wonderful... but more of that later!

Winter

These days, if I'm lucky enough to still be in bed at sunrise, I wake to a beautiful cool light. It's a light that screams "Winter!" yet somehow feels really warm and safe. It's no secret that I'm a warm weather person but there's still something wonderful about this season. I guess it helps that there are so many links to festivities and time spent inside with family and friends not doing anything but just existing.

Talking about not doing anything, I almost wish I had that luxury. It's been busy for the past period but tomorrow the real craziness starts. Most of it is wonderfully fun craziness (except exams, of course). Crazy nevertheless.

Excited.

Still waiting for the tree to arrive. When it does we are ready!

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Last day of November

Well, this has crept up on me somewhat. There's only three weeks of university left until the end of term and tomorrow will be the first day of Busy December... the month of at least one 'event' a day. Eep.

It's been a long time coming but, after about
six hours work they're up at last!

Today was supposed to by the start of 'Busy December' with a music DVD night with Thijs and Hester but I have come over feeling like, to put it eloquently, crap and have had to pull out. On the bright side, I have done some brilliant work over this weekend and am now officially ahead in my subjects. I also, finally managed to get my curtains made and up. So, in short, I feel like life is vaguely in control ahead of the wonderful but deadly month of December.

Talking of which, the next month is either going to be a dense or sparse one as far as blogging goes. There is a lot going on which, hypothetically should mean a lot to blog about. However, it also means that there is unlikely to be a lot of time to actually sit down and write the blogs. When I get home for Christmas, while I'll have the time, I am going to be staying in a rented cottage and may well not have internet access.

Ultimately, as always, I will write about each event but there may be some delay in posting of blogs so bear with me and please forgive absences/so many posts.

And now I am going to cuddle up in bed and attempt to force my dear body to recover before things really do get busy.

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Visting Utrecht...kinda...

I'm attempting to blog each time I visit a place outside of Amsterdam or go to a specific event in order to give those of you back in the UK (or elsewhere outside of the Netherlands) a bit of an insight into the country, as I find it. However, today's trip to Utrecht wasn't the most interesting thing in the whole wide world to write about. Don't get me wrong, I had a lovely time, and especially with good company, but it was simply so cold that I would have rather been at home!

As for Utrecht, it seemed like a really lovely place. Annelies has mentioned it to be various times, and how much she likes it, but I'd never looked round at all. I can't say that I got a detailed overview of the city but I'll certainly be going back soon. It was a lot easier than Amsterdam but seemed to still have a lot going on. In that sense it's my kind of city.

The place I actually went to visit was De Dom, or St. Martin's Cathedral, which is a Gothic style cathedral and bell tower, as my art history class was having a tour. It was okay but the conflict of interests between our tour guide and class lecturer, and the freezing cold environment meant that I didn't really enjoy it as much as I could have. To be fair, by the end, I think the whole class was shaking so it wasn't just me being a wimp.... for once.

The building itself is rather pretty, with some interesting internal features. I don't know if I would have gone out of my way to view its architecture as it's not one of the most wonderful religious buildings I've ever seen, as a holistic piece, but it was worth seeing all the same. Probably with better weather, and sunlight, it would have been a lot more interesting. I mean, you can see from my photos, it was one of those days where you can't even see a cloud for the mass of white that is the sky. I don't think that kind of weather does justice to buildings.

On the bright side, after the tour, Amber, Leike, Stephan, and I had a late lunch in the warm and that was so, so good. Good company and cozy temperatures... amazing!!

So yeah, Utrecht will certainly feature in this blog again and, no doubt, in a more positive light. Now, I'm going to attempt to get warm, get rid of my raging headache, and study a bit. Tomorrow is dress shopping day so there is joy ahead!

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Musical interlude

Having worked so very hard over the last few weeks it seemed only right that I took some time out today for a bit of music. I mean, it's not like I'm having to work so hard because I have booked a social/music event for every day in December, until Christmas... right? Sarcastic appraisal of own idiocy aside, last week I made the rather impromptu decision to go and see Rapalje performing with Fanfare De Eendracht Den Ilp, dragging Dania along for some much appreciated company.

The first half of the show was performed by the brass band. Now, I'm not a big brass instrument lover, I will be honest, but the quality of this performance was quite something. Seriously, seriously enjoyed their show! Not only was the playing great but it was a well rounded performance with lighting, projections of images, and some charismatic musicians. It also helped that I actually knew most of the pieces that were being played which was a bit of a surprise. I can remember looking across at Dania after the second piece and asking her if she was okay and her saying that it was "really cool" which was a relief, seeing as I had press-ganged her into coming in the first place.

Although the first act was a performance in its own right (I feel I should give brass-heavy music another chance now!) the second act was, of course, wonderful. I'm not going to write a lot about it as I've written so much about Rapalje in the past... and I need to sleep! All the same, this was my first time seeing the band playing in a proper theatre setting as opposed to at a festival or tiny venue like at Glastonbury. As always, they put on a great show musically and performance wise. Add to that the fact that there were a pair of great dancers who performed maybe every third number or so, and a fair bit of fire on stage and it was quite the spectacle.

The set was terrific as always. It opened with Dunmore Lasses which remains one of my favourite tunes even though I still cannot play it. Pretty sure that Dania enjoyed that one too! The rest was  a mixture of some faster pieces such as Home Is Where My Friends Are - during which the gentleman next to me to really got into clapping along, hitting me several times! - and Galway Girl - which, as always, is still stuck in my head. It was also the first time I've heard Teddy O'Neill played live and, as I love that song so much, it was super to hear it.

Briefly met the band (sans Dieb) after the show and got a couple of nice photos for the scrapbook. Actually, got an extra one of just me and David as I didn't realise he was in the first photo... oops! Oh well!

And the most important bit? What did Dania think? Well, I guess you'll have to ask her if you really want to know the truth but, from what she told me, I think Rapalje might have a new fan in the making here!! She seemed to enjoy herself, at least, and there has been some discussion of her maybe joining me for the Midwinter Fair to catch their set in a fortnight's time. Whether she does or not, I think that's a good sign that she didn't hate it ;-)

Talking about music. While I'm here: Today is the second anniversary of the wonderful Wyldwood Radio which broadcasts a mixture of different genres of music, based around pagan themes, every hour of every day. Not only do I want to wish them a very happy birthday but, if you're reading this and are into anything remotely folky, rocky, or trancey, then you should pop on over and give them, and some of their specialist shows, a listen!

Right, no matter how glorious today might have been, must get back to work... and sleep. So much to do and such little time!

Sinterklaas' arrival!

Before I start I should probably say that:

1. I am writing this after pulling a complete all nighter and therefore my brain, and my fingers, feel as though they are floating. If this post makes sense and isn't scattered with errors it will be a miracle.
2. I am writing this for my non-Dutch friends so if you're Dutch and notice any mistakes then please don't hate me ;-)

Here we go!

Yesterday was the arrival of Sinterklaas in Amsterdam and so, naturally, I decided to go along and watch with Leonoor and Dania. After all, I wasn't going to miss out on the chance to watch something that's specific to the Netherlands and miss out on watching loads of little children being really happy!

They don't look so happy but they were, I promise!

Sinterklaas is basically Saint Nicolas and, as such, there are similar aspects to our own Father Christmas figure, although I get shouted at for saying that! While the Sinterklaas festival is the 5th of December, on Saturday, he arrived in the Netherlands and, yesterday in Amsterdam. He arrives by boat and then transfers to a white horse which is ridden along the parade route. He's also accompanied by Zwarte Pieten who give pepernoten to the children along the route.

I'm not sure if he's usually joined by a load of old fashioned
fire fighters but he was this time!

As you can probably guess, the figure of Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, causes a lot of controversy and, from what I can tell, there are attempts every year to change his design (either to multi-coloured Pieten or to ones with streaks of black 'soot' on their faces but otherwise not made up). As one might have expected, there was a protest before the event which was cleared away quite calmly by riot police before the children arrived. I guess they didn't want to risk similar scenes as the day before in Gouda where protests got a bit out of hand. Frankly, I am pleased that the protest ended before children arrived because, while I agree that there should be a change in design with regard to the character, adult politics and campaigning shouldn't spoil the magic for young children and therefore should be kept out of the event itself.

Naturally, bikes had to be involved somehow!

And that was what was absolutely lovely about the day. Little children who could barely walk having a wonderful day completely full of magic. One little person, upon seeing some Pieten up a clock tower started shouting joyfully to get their attention and get them to wave. A little girl was dressed up as Sinterklaas' horse with a little cape showing the saint on her back. There was a buzz of excitement and it was lovely to see. Indeed, for Leonoor who grew up with all this, I think it was nice to have the excuse of 'showing the foreigner' to let her go and relive her own childhood a little!

These guys just had a party messing around while abseiling - it was
really fun to watch!

The only not great bit about the day was the fact that it was completely chucking it down with that fine rain, non stop. While it was okay as, although we got pretty chilled through, we all warmed up, it has meant that most of my photos turned out rather grainy looking which is a real shame. Oh well, next time!

So yeah, that's it for today. I guess that I'll write more about the traditions closer to the 5th if (non-Dutch) people are interested. As for the next few weeks, I'm basically going to be working solidly so, if I don't post or am not around as much, don't worry! I've somehow, in my infinite wisdom, managed to book at least one social event every single day in December so I really must get ahead with work before the fun (and breakdowns!) really starts!

Wow, wow, and wow once again!

I don't normally write blog posts straight after shows - I'm incoherent even when I'm mentally at my best - but this one time I feel an exception must be made. I've just come back from seeing Apocalyptica with Maria and I simply have to write.

I don't normally feel both as exhausted and exhilarated as this after a gig. I guess the cycling home burned off the post gig adrenaline while my mind is still on fire from the experience. 

I didn't expect the band to be quite that amazing. I expected brilliance but they surpassed it. Wow.

Everything ready to go!

Apocalyptica are one of my childhood bands. I first discovered them back when I was first developing my own music taste. As I started to play the cello myself they became an inspiration. Seriously, one the first proper pieces I learned to play was one the parts of 'Cortege'. They could have been pretty disappointing and it still would have been an amazing night but, trust me, they were anything but disappointing.

Waiting for the show to begin, I tormented Maria with my excited bouncing. Poor girl, she kindly agreed to accompany me even though she wasn't a fan herself and then was subjected to an excited me! We decided to sit on the balcony which is not my usual style but was actually an excellent choice. The view was brilliant of both the stage and of the band. It was really interesting to watch the crowd dynamic from this angle - you don't see the patterns when you're a part of it even if you're aware they exist. It would have also been a great place to take photos but I gave up in the end because the lighting was not nice to my little compact and, with the number of pro photographers there, there will be plenty of images floating around in a few days :-)

Anyway, you'll notice I'm avoiding talking about the show itself. It's really hard to work out what to say, how to put it into words. The music was great. They're talented live musicians not just talented recording artists so that was not surprise. I guess the tech was a bit odd to start with as the drums were too prominent but that was quickly resolved and then everything was great.

What did surprise me was the dynamic on stage. Something that's to Apocalyptica's credit is the way in which each member has their own role within the band's sound. They're not just several cellists, and drummer, attempting to play coherent music but they're a band with defined roles melody, rhythm, bass... drums. While they make stray from this format from time to time it gives their music a real structure. But this wasn't what I was wanting to say... oh what was it? Yes, the fact that, on stage, there is also a clear structure. Eicca seems to be cool and in control, Paavo really interacted with the crowd and got them involved, Perttu was 100% full of beans and all over the place, and Mikko drew it all together with the drumming. In this sense, you have a really rounded stage atmosphere. There was a real feeling of fraternity amongst the band and that was lovely to see as an audience member. It felt like they were loving being on stage and that simply transferred. Yeah, it was great.

Not only was the potential of the important bits of music and performance fully realised but the design of the performance, both visually and set-list wise was also on form. I will admit that there were times when the strobe lighting was simply to flashy for me but then there were also moments of beautiful lighting design that really set up an atmosphere to compliment the piece in question. The louder, faster pieces saw the stage divided with beams of light and colour while the quiet, peaceful numbers received a more harmonious treatment. And the balance between those fast and slow pieces was just right. While the majority of the set was centred around, as one would expect, Apocalyptica's heavier pieces, it was interjected with two moments of calm. Not only were the tunes played in those moments stunning but this division of the set ensured that the heavier tunes did not fall into a monotony, allowing the audience to appreciate every moment.

So, a wonderful night? Undoubtedly. Did Maria enjoy it in the end? Well, from her grin at points during the show and from the brief discussion we had afterwards... I think she might be a convert ;-) Sadly, we didn't manage to meet the band afterwards (and I couldn't get my scrap-book signed!) but as I'll be seeing them next year I think I'll survive! Truly cannot wait to see them again - they've set themselves up at near top of my 'best live bands list' and exceeded the already high expectations I held. Wow.

Sorry for lack of decent images. I only took about 20 as I thought they were coming out even worse than they were. Of course, that means the semi-decent ones, and I use that term very loosely, are limited to no more than a few!

An evening in Amsterdam

I'll admit that, when I first moved here, Amsterdam didn't really catch my imagination. Everything seemed a bit artificial and I just couldn't see the appeal of the city itself. However, I've found myself rapidly falling in love with the place. The more time you spend here and the more you explore of the tourist track, the more the city unfolds. Granted, one could say the same of any major city but, with Amsterdam, I've really felt that transition.

On Wednesday night I went out with a group to have dinner, belatedly celebrating Sonja and my birthday. As always, the company was wonderful and the food was good too but it was what happened afterwards that made the night, I think, for us all.

We walked.

It was the middle of the evening, the air was crisp but dry, the streets almost empty, the city lit up ready for the festive season. It was beautiful.

When you escape from the plastic and neons of the tourist specific areas, step out into the night-time atmosphere, you enter a whole different world. This was a romantic world and not one that you see when you step off the train when you first arrive. It was a strange walk as we passed by houses with the 'perfect' family sitting scrapbooking in the window, a picture postcard scene; stunning churches which led to debates over the age and denomination based on art history and Dutch history, eventually solved by google; cosy bars with people obviously having a wonderful evening... if you could imagine a perfect evening walk, this is as close as reality gets.

And that is what I've realised about this city... Meandering alongside canals and over bridges, walking for the sake of taking the prettiest route you find so much. I'm not sure if we would ever find some of the places again but I am sure that, for me anyway, even if I was to revisit the area it would never hold quite the same magic as in that night.

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