TUTTI ANTWERP

combined a business meeting in antwerp with a bit of trend checking and enjoying the nice weather in antwerp. it is so handy because it is only 1.5 hours from the hague by train. very easy travelling so it is perfect for a one day trip. fortunately the weather was on my side and so far i have encountered some very interesting lighting conditions.

of course i enjoyed some nice coffee (white nights: coffee with hot chocolate and almond syrup with white chocolate flakes on top)

N AME picasonic : 2:22 PM | COMMENT (0)

AIRBORNE

on the way back from amsterdam got off at the airport to get a whiff of fresh air on this nice day. maybe i will be flying with the plane on the left in the near future : )

N AME picasonic : 11:30 PM | COMMENT (0)

OPEN "FASHION" HOUSE

the fashion academy in rotterdam that i am planning to apply to had an open house today. was quite fun. small school but seems quite good. funny was one of the students wouldn't even let me take a photo of her collection. to be honest i thought it was quite bad but i guess she was afraid someone was going to steal her original ideas : )) ...

anyway, it was a sunny day and i hadnt been in rotterdam for some time. building everywhere, seems to be one big construction site.

N AME picasonic : 5:39 PM | COMMENT (0)

BAD MOOD

i don't get to see filou that often these days since i have been quite busy but when i see him maybe i am too pushy. i guess he was in a bad mood and after trying to play with him for a while he bit me -- saying GET LOST TJ ! well, next time he will be in a better mood i am sure : )

N AME picasonic : 10:28 PM | COMMENT (0)

STUDY GROUP

today i had japanese class and this is one of my teacher's birds. they have 2 very beautiful birds that always get very jealous and loud when someone is on the phone. they like flying from one end of the room to the other - what nice companions they are.

N AME picasonic : 9:05 PM | COMMENT (0)

SAY CHEESE

photo: Erika

was helping my mom to scan in some of her photos yesterday. first time really that she had her negatives scanned so she was happy with the outcome. seems like regular consumer photo labs are doing such a poor job printing photos these days so better just work on them yourself if possible.

photo is taken in gouda, famous for the gouda cheese. it is only about 15 minutes by train from my house but havent been there in years. should go there again sometime.

N AME picasonic : 2:25 PM | COMMENT (0)

DREAMING OF HAIR

these days i am quite busy with a hair documentary...so even my dreams revolve around hair. my interest seems to be completely taken by fashion design, magazines, accessories etc... actually quite funny since i am not that impressed by materialsm...and i guess fashion is known to be quite an artificial and materialistic world.

i thought about it and i think it is (or can be at least) a very dreamy atmosphere which is perfect to escape cold realities. so i choose to keep dreaming along the fashion avenue made up of funky colors, textures and a soothing feeling.

N AME picasonic : 4:29 PM | COMMENT (0)

LOOKING AHEAD

projecting myself
into the future
of dreams

waiting

to be dreamt
till the end.

N AME picasonic : 9:27 PM | COMMENT (0)

BLACK MADONNA

black madonna is the name of the building on your right - an apartment complex. i think originally it was a low income housing building but now since they are really building up the area commercially, it is a thorn to the city. therefore --> the building has to go ! many complaints have been written and organizations have complained but there seems to be no change of plans.

it is sad when i walk by the building sometimes, seeing that most of it is no longer occupied. a few lights are on here and there. a photo of that would have been much more powerful but hey, sometimes i lack the patience : )

i can imagine the sad feeling of some of the tenants. having moved around quite a lot in my life i remember how attached i often got to places. like a cat ...

N AME picasonic : 11:04 PM | COMMENT (0)

BAD BOYS & FLYERS

on my way to the city i am zipping by some flyers. it reminds me of this guy who recently told me about the secret flyer posting operations they go through once in a while. for all these dance/house parties they secretly put up all these flyers all over the place. since it is not legal to do, they are watching their steps very carefully. apparently the other day they were almost caught by the police. car full of flyers and glue they spotted a police car. turns out they were after someone else.

seems like a lot of nerves being wrecked only posting a bunch of flyers. the party BETTER BE GOOD !!! : )

N AME picasonic : 3:40 PM | COMMENT (0)

CULTURE EXCHANGE

well, this morning i ate anko (from kyoto) with peanutbutter on shoarma bread. the bread is a middle eastern bread and well peanut butter i guess can be from a few places as well but since it is very popular in holland, i look at it as a dutch/japanese combo on middle eastern bread, so sandwiched inbetween a few cultures. i find it interesting to think of the places and the cultures where the food came from. everyone of us combines cultures on a culinary level but we seem to still be in the dark ages when it comes to cultural integration in actual life as it pertains to us humans.

think about it ...

by the way, you might think WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS GUY EATING ? hahaha ... well, i get bored of generic combinations. this one was quite delicious actually.

N AME picasonic : 5:48 PM | COMMENT (0)

HAIR & MORE HAIR

just started making a documentary about a hair salon. still in the process of searching for the essence of it all but it will be a fun little project. color or black&white, combo, sharp, unsharp, let's see. it is quite a lot of fun.

N AME picasonic : 10:54 AM | COMMENT (0)

SUMMER SUMMER NIGHTS

summer is in town and enjoying an evening cafe terrace with friends, some drinks and sometimes food is now possible again. this weekend the temperature will dip below 10 again but looks like in general it is time to enjoy the fresh air again and becoming social.

N AME picasonic : 7:41 AM | COMMENT (0)

HURRY UP !!!

seems to be a perfect reflection of dutch culture, NOONE CARES. this is also applicable to construction because once started it seems to proceed like a snail, VEEEEEEERY VEEEEEERY SLOOOOOOWLY.

N AME picasonic : 6:09 PM | COMMENT (0)

for a BEAUTIFUL human life ...

this slogan from a japanese cosmetics company just came to my mind when i looked at this photo. big containers for glas and paper are everywhere here in holland. i guess ecologically responsible. however, someone told me once that, although, you are supposed to separate your trash, they often throw them together when they are collecting them.

knowing how sloppy and individualistic the dutch culture can be, i WOULDN'T BE SUPRISED !

N AME picasonic : 5:19 PM | COMMENT (0)

THE CROW

Giant sculpture in the hague depicting a crow. i find it quite fascinating, such a strong expression.

N AME picasonic : 11:58 PM | COMMENT (0)