12 January 2007

(Dis)incentive


As it turns out there was no meeting today. The oh-so-snobbish members of the society actually forgot about about our appointment, and kept my colleagues and me waiting the whole morning. We joked that we took reluctantly showers and dressed up and got up early to be at work especially for the meeting.

So I worked a bit, answered some emails, and hauled some boxes from one office to another with a little cart that made big noises as it rode over the cobbled road. The American Embassy (or as I call it, Guatanamo in The Hague) happened to be on the way. Armed policemen looked at my colleague and me, with our big boxes and our loud-sounding cart, suspiciously. It prbably didn't help that an American embassy was attacked earlier this morning.

I got home early in the afternoon, had a quick lunch, and my plans to finally get some studying done were stolen by sleep. I just wanted to lie down and take a nap, but it turned into two hours of sleep, and by the time I got up, it was already dark outside. Apparently the winter blues have not gone.

It took bars of chocolate, cookies and huge gulps of tea to keep me seated for a good few hours. But somehow I don't feel like studying... it's the last exam of the term, and the exam itself is just four days away, but I'm so tired and unmotivated for some reason... I read the pages and pages of judgements, but it seems like I read and I forget. Not encouraging.

Well, on the bright side I get to have the house to myself over the weekend. The others are going to their parties and friends, so it'll be nice and quiet.

Would be nice if I could share this empty place and feelings with someone though...

11 January 2007

Meeting


I don't like meetings. Not when you have to dress up and look pompous. Especially not meetings with pretentious people who think they're soooo important and better than everyone else and don't even try to hide that.

But sometimes you just have to smile and be friendly and friends with everyone else, even though deep down you just want to get out of the place and can't bear to be with those people one more moment. Well, it'll be like that this morning. At work we're meeting the board members of the society organising the moot competition... and I just can't not go and mingle.
I know one of the board members, who happens to be in my class. And he's one of these arrogant, snobbish people who likes to show off with his expensive gadgets and tell you all about the experiences he's had working at the UN blah blah blah...

Oh well, smile and be friendly and friends with everyone else.

Homosexual vs. homosexuality

There is a difference between the two, according to a local evangelical school.

In a recent guide to schools in a local paper, a school in Amsterdam, called 'The Passion', claimed that because homosexuality does not fit in with the principles of the school there are no (openly) gay teachers working there.

This caused a bit of an uproar, and a law-maker has prompted investigation into whether the comment overstepped the Equal Treatment Act [de Wet gelijke behandeling]. The direcotr of ‘The Passion’, however does not think it discriminates.

“Discrimination is characterised by the unequal treatment of people in [prohibited] situations. This is different at our school, which is based on [biblical education]. We ask our teachers that they subscribe to the bible, and live to that in their private lives.

[…] We see a difference between homosexual and homosexuality. It is possible that we have teachers who are by nature homosexual, but as Christians decide not to engage in a relationship with someone of the same sex.” In comparing with Islamic schools who only take on teachers who are Muslims, the director continues: “We also don’t have teachers who say that God does not exist. You may select on the basis of outlook on life.”

What a skewed argument in this day and age...

10 January 2007

Spur

After work today I was tired, and it was pouring with rain. Quickly went to the market to get some veggies, since the fridge is pretty much empty. Walked between the stalls, and my shoes and trousers became completely drenched, and I felt pretty miserable on the bus ride home.



But just as I got out of the bus the sky had miraculously cleared. Above and around me was an amazing sunset, a canvas of purple and pink, one I've not seen for a while. Suddenly I got the urge to go to the beach, so after putting everything down I grabbed the bike and sped toward the sea, hoping to catch that last glimpse of the sun before it sunk into the sea.

It was a struggle against the wind, though there was no more rain. The wind was strong, and resisted, but I was stronger, and zigzagged forward, and onwards. But by the time I got to the beach, it had pretty much become dark... just that last trace of the dying day were left in little puntures in thick, thick clouds that were blowing in from the sea, and looming.

I stood on the empty beach, disappointed, and felt the gusts of wind laugh at me.

But still... I triumphed over it and cycled home.

08 January 2007

Indictment

The Prosecutor v. Musco Mousovic [aka. Mouse]



...Mr Mouse, the Accused.

He is brown, has round up-turned ears, and measures approximately ten centimetres from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. He belongs to the species known as "Mus musculus", or commonly referred to as 'house mouse'.

(For the purpose of this inditment, the gender of the Accused is assumed to be male, though it does not prejudice the actual gender of the Accused if it turns out to be otherwise).


Mr Mouse is indicted for the following:

Count 1) causing nuisance to public order, sanitation, and sanity
Count 2) crime of pillaging food from Kitchen
Count 3) causing odious smell


THE FACTS

Mr Mouse was arrested this morning at approximately 11.30 hours, and transfered to a secure Holding Cell. Admitted, due to the lack of proper facilities in the posession of the Tribunal, the Accused could only be temporarily confined to a cell originally originated for cat-kind.

However, the Accused has now gone missing, and is suspected to have escape.


His arrest came in the wake of a series of unexplained rice-eating incidents. The Accused is also suspected of causing the peculiar stench that has been lingering in the Kitchen for the preceding few days.

Mr Mouse's presence, and alleged crimes were first brought to the attention to the tribunal by an officer of the Tribunal, Ms Kitty (herafter Cat).


In the morning of 8 January 2007, Cat paraded around the living room and stayed in the proximity of Sofa.


In various instances, Cat was witnessed attempting to climb under Sofa, but due to her oversized body, Cat could only manage to get her head and paws under Sofa. The Tribunal therefore investigated further.

Upon further investigation, it was found that Mr Mouse was hiding under Sofa. The Accused did not move when sighted, nor did he attempt to escape. The Tribunal took precautionary steps not to injury the Accused in his capture. By using an empty Jar, the Tribunal was able to trap Mr Mouse and transfer him, with all care and respect of his rights as a detainee of the Tribunal, into Holding Cell.

The Accused appeared to be in good health, evidenced by his continuous inhalations of breath and rapid heart beat. From the discovery to the confinement of the Accused, no attempts were made to resist the arrest or to escape.

Due to the occupation of the Tribunal with matters of examination, the Accused was kept in Holding Cell in the Kitchen, pending further decision on the future status and indictment of the Accused. Adequate food, in the form of fresh lettuce leaves and slices of Gouda cheese, were provided. There was plenty of air and light. As observed, no signs of resistance or struggle were attempted. Though Cat expressed interest in Mr Mouse and loitered around Holding Cell, the Tribunal managed to usher and keep Cat away at least ten meters from the place of detention. The conditions of confinement were in conformity with the Convention on the Capture and Detention of Mice.

Approximately four hours later, at around 17.00 hours, the Tribunal returned to find Holding Cell empty. Initial conclusions and investigation indicate Mr Mouse had, in the absence of the Tribunal, managed to escape from confinement. The lettuce leaves and slices of cheese were untouched. Possible explaination for the escape of the Accused may be the bars of Holding Cell were too big to hold the Accused, whereby the Mr Mouse was able to squeeze through the bars and escape.

The Tribunal is frustrated by the series of events, and is considering taking further measures to ensure the entrapment and capture of the Accused.

He is to be considered small, furry, brown, and cute.

The investigation continues, and the Arrest Warrant of the Accused is still valid, and will remain so as long as the Accused is at large.



07 January 2007

Week I


Exactly one week into the new year. This time last week there were fireworks everwhere... now it's back to that normal quietness.

Must say it's been a really slow and lazy week, mostly spent at home, studying and working on my paper. And sleeping too. I can't remember the last time I felt sooooo tired, and just slept and slept and napped.

Besides that, the huge stack of chocolate I bought and got for Christmas is almost depleted. Some friends and I had a competition before the holidays to see who would gain the most weight over the two weeks of feasting and festivities. I can almost definitely say I've lost, since instead of gaining weight I managed to loose weight. Perhaps that's what happens when you're blue.

So... in exactly twelve hours, it'll be back to 'school' again.

And no better way to start than with a three hour exam.

Cat... and mouse



I'm not sure when it started, but I noticed yesterday my cat got herself a new job. Normally she only goes into the kitchen when someone is cooking, but strangely she's been staying close to the kitchen, just laying low, watching. And watching.


And we discovered what she why.

Apparently, behind the kitchen cupboard, a little mouse has been hiding, and feasting itself on this bag of rice we keep thereabouts. Which explained the grains of rice on the kitchen floor.

I've not seen the mouse myself, but I think my cat has. A couple of times she opened the cupboard door herself and tried to 'paw' into the tight space, as if trying to grab something.

She's still there, now, still waiting. And watching.

Gay news...

Roundup of things in the papers I read but didn't have time to write about.

  • Read in the papers two weeks ago that the Dutch are 'leaders' in the support for same-sex marriage and legalisation of sof drugs. Thus whereas only 44% of Europeans support same-sex marriage, in the Netherlands this is 82%. On legalisation of soft drugs, 49% in the Netherlands are for, compared to only 25% in the rest of the European Union. Go Holland~

  • Shocking news carried by the Sunday Times, that scientists in the US are trying to ‘straighten’ gay sheep. By injecting hormones into male rams that have a preference for same-sex rams, the scientists at the University of Oregon report “considerable success”. Potentially this could be used on human embryos to alter the sexuality of the unborn child.

Martina Navratilova, the lesbian tennis player who won Wimbledon nine times, and scientists and gay rights campaigners in Britain have called for the project to be abandoned.

Navratilova defended the “right” of sheep to be gay. She said: “How can it be that in the year 2006 a major university would host such homophobic and cruel experiments?” She said gay men and lesbians would be “deeply offended” by the social implications of the tests.

  • A Belgium paper reports that the end of Saddam’s regime doesn’t mean the end of persecution of gays in Iraq. According to the Internal Ministry of Iraq, as many as 50 homosexuals are abducted every day, while ho-le-bi interest groups are continually being threatened. September last year, a transsexual was burnt to death by a gang; in January a 27 year gay was killed by militia on the streets; in May a 14 year homosexual was shot dead by a policeman. Since ayatollah called on the public to murder homosexuals in March, some 350 people have been killed. Who said the American-led invasion and regime-change was supposed to bring about greater freedom…