Last day for your New Years resolutions 2006

Why do we kill people to tell other people that killing people is wrong?

Perhaps I've had too much to eat.

Sometimes the cure makes more victims than the disease.

Sometimes I wish everyday could be like Christmas.

It's christmas time.

Not everything always goes as planned.

Just moved to the new version of Blogger and here's my end-of-year message to all of you.

Christmas-time is NOT hypocrite, only to hypocrites.

A lot of mistakes could be prevented if mornings wouldn't start so early.

Being disappointed can be turned into an advantage.

The thing with filmshootings at night is that you go to sleep when most other people wake up.

At times it seems I simply don't have the time to live my life.

Nothing but a nice hot shower feels like a nice hot shower.

Always nice to have dinner at moms!

Officially it's autumn but it's spring in my heart and out on the streets of Amsterdam

My son was already asleep and the babysit had left the building.

Rather nice to have experienced a regular sunday for a change.

Being a father has its rewards.

It's not everyday you get asked to be guestspeaker at a conference about single parenthood.

It can be really useful to go for a beer after a council-meeting.

It's impossible to feel happy all the time.

Feels like I'm coming down with a cold.

I do worry about the future. Just not every day.

George Orwell was wrong: the Automated Tracking System is worse than he could ever have imagined.

Sometimes my son and I disagree.

Sometimes I'm just really, really tired.

Not everything is as satisfying as watching a child sleep.

There are not enough hours in a day for a single dad working two jobs.

Funny to once again experience that it can actually fysically hurt to love your children.

Today my son turned eleven.

Working for 16 hours straight can be really exhausting.

Sometimes all you need to do during a council budget-meeting is observe and learn.

It's good to share your morning-coffee.

I like attending social gatherings.

My upset stomach got accompanied by a headache.

Today I've had a quiet but interesting day.

My world

It's back to the red pencil for 35 cities throughout The Netherlands since Government Reform minister Atzo Nicolai drew back the government's okay for voting machines produced by SDU. They are responsible for about 10 procent of the total of voting computers and are found unsafe to use. A big win for the people who don't trust machines over pencil and paper. Of course questions should be asked when decisions about the future of the country depend on a company that produces and delivers voting machines and are the only ones with access to the hardware and software. When asked if the machines are reliable guess what their answer was?

BTW: Apparantly Ted Haggart is gay and that fact is a very big issue. Why? Because he lied. So he lied when he claimed to be against gay sex. Or is he just like a lot of other people, stating: "everybody should live by the rules. Except for me."

As long as I'm with my kids I don't care much about others: seeing my son and daughter laughing with eachoter is ll there is to it for me. That's my world.

Values

It won't be long before being a Muslim is considered a crime in itself. So I'm glad I'm not a muslim although I hold the same believes. As Muslims. As Christians. As Budhists. As Mormons. As Jehova's...You know: respect all life, honour your parents, don't steal or lie, etcetera. So why do so many people claim their believe is superior to others? It may diver on some points but basically we all believe in the same basic values. So let's stop talking about "Afro-Americans", "Jews", "Polaks", "Men", "Immigrants" and so on and start talking about others as if they were regular human beings like you and me...Or at least try. How hard can it be?

Summer Holiday

What do Jean Luc Picard, Michael Myers, Mary Poppins and Oprah Winfrey have in common? People dressed to look like these (and many, many more!) characters were at the party I had the pleasure to work at, last night: Fucques les Balles by Erwin Olaf en de meubelstukken at NDSM-werf, Amsterdam.

Amongst the people attending was my boss at The Amsterdam Dungeon. Let's find out if the fact he saw me doing the can can in a pink tutu affects the contract-renewal talks coming monday...

Had a great summer holiday with my son: we went to see the baseball game Cuba vs. The Netherlands (and we won!), we went to a science museum, saw the classical circus of Circus Renz and saw the perfect copoeration of light, sound, costumes and entertainment department from Cirque du Soleil. We spend a week in the dunes at summercamp and I got to spend a weekend one on one with my daughter when my son was at Vlieland, one of the isles, with a friend of his. We changed a few things in and around the house and Ferdinand picked p two new hobbies: playing Magic: the gathering an folding paper airplanes.

Vulgar

Britons see US as vulgar empire builder. Well, I don't blame them, judging by the stories that come to my attention.

Some are good, of course. Like this one: Finale the Americans are doing a really good deed: they are sending rice to the Middle East. At least: that's what I heard on the radio today.

One of the other stories I hear is that several people are staying in American prisons while being innocent and more than once evidence that can prove their innocence "disappears".

Speaking of innocencen: don't you just love the innocence of young children? Take mine for example. Today they joined me in a visit of my daycarecentre-nanny (if that't the word...). I hadn't seen her in over thirty years but it seemed less than a decade...;-)

Tomorrw is the introduction-day of this years summercamp for the volunteers and since I'll be one of them and I can't leave Eva en Ferdinandn home alone we'll spend best of the day in the dunes near Haarlem. Should be fun.

Busy

The past couple of weeks had been hectic: with an average of 64 working hours a week I've been busy working for the local council, my son's school PTA, at The Amsterdam Dungeon and working as entertainer at nightclubs. At times I skipped sleeping and still finding the time to guide my American cousins Chris and Cynthia through the city of Amsterdam, going to a beads-shop with my daughter Eva and musea with my son Ferdinand. In the meantime looking up my mom in the nursery home (since about ten days she's in her own home again. Yes!)

In the meantime there's been a flood in Suriname and hundreds have lost their homes or their lives in floddings in Sulawesi. Internationale pressure is building up to withdraw troops from Iraq and the closing of the concentrationcamp Guantanamo Bay..

Still I feel useful and happy. At least I can say I've tried to improve the situation in the world while more than a few people have given up on it and have turned selfish. Nothing wrong with being selfish but next to being selfish you can still help others. I think we have the obligation to help others whenever and however we can. It's really easy. Have you tried it?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali...er...Magan

There's this highly entertaining thing going on in The Netherlands. One of the leading political parties, the VVD (The Dutch Liberals) had sort of declared war against asylumseekers. There are extemely strict rules now for anyone outside the EU to become a Dutch passport. A Turkish family was send back after Mrs. Verdonk, minister of Integration, found out they had been lying about their names upon applying for citizenship.
Back in 1992 a Somalian woman entered the country, supposedly fleeing from the strict regime in her country and because of a pre-arranged marriage. She got her citizenship ("poor girl, having to leave her family and friends!") and was taken aboard by the PVDA (The Dutch Labour) to boost the darker side of the electorate.

She was then told she couldn't say in public what she wanted to say because people expect from party-members that they defend party-issues and not attack them...
So the Africa-born lady switched completely to the other side of the Dutch political spectrum:"Boohoo, they won't let me say what I want! Can I with you?"-"Of course darling. As long as you are willing to take a seat in parliament and win us countless of votes from black woman and people who dislike Islam."-"Okay!" she replied "But I have to tell you something. When I arrived in your beautiful country I lied about my name and birthdate."
-"No problem, dear. We just keep it hush hush.-"Okay".

Then the woman made a little mistake last week: in a TV-documentary she admitted to having committed fraude and wasn't sorry about it.

Her fellow party-member Mrs Verdonk now faces a tough challenge. In her running for party leadership she has taken on an act as iron lady who never makes exceptions. In that retrospect she had Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali backing her up:"You go girl! Kick those Turks out of the country!" Now mrs Verdonk told a reporter that, had she been minister back in 1992, ms Ayaan Hirsi Magan (formerly known as Ayaan Hirsi Ali) had not been allowed to enter the country. Just hours later she told Ms. Magan she had nothing to worry about and everything was done to keep her Dutch.

However she will have to choose: expel Ms. Magan and loose a lot of voters who had taken the side of Verdonk and Ali..er...Magan or make an exseption for her party-member and seriously hurt her reputation as iron lady, thus loosing a lot of voters. In both scenarios it is not unlikeley she will win the election about the party leadership to grey mouse Mark Rutte.

Like I said: highly entertaining.

Ps: I forgot to mention VVD is not my favourite political party...

At least for a while

The limelight, the boo-ing, applause, dressing-room situations, dancing on high heels...I'll miss being Brad Majors...
At least for a while. Need some time to spare since I've started to have meetings during dinner and even during breakfast. Making appointments not at five o'clock but "a quarter to" because I need to go somewhere else at "a quarter past"...it's gettng a bit too much.

At least now I'm still in control but not for long if I don't watch it.
Hence the decision to quit playing in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
At least for a while.

Thanks!

Jean Charles de Menezes, an electrician from Brasil, was brutally murdered by London Police officers and they got away with it, saying he was running away from them and was wearing a much to thick jacket for the time of the year. Witnesses say he was not running or would a man on the run stop to grab a newspaper? Another witness says Menenez sat calmly on the underground when he was grabbed by one officer and shot through the head by an other. The police officers and their bosses, including Tony Blair, get away with it.

Something's not right in this world

In the meanwhile my mother is recovering from a mild brain-hemorage. At times she feels a bit lonely at the ward. A card is much appreciated:

Mw. S. Weijnschenk
Verpleeghuis Amstelhof
1e Verdieping, kamer 3
Amstel 51
1018 EJ Amsterdam

Thanks!

Okay

The start of this week I stayed in Cannes, France because of a party I was asked to work at: Cirque Endemol.
Last night my mother was committed to a hospital but it looks like she will be okay gain in a couple of days.
Bercause she is in hospital my son will have to come to work with me. So it shall be.

Elections

Yesterday I got elected Employee of the Month at The Amsterdam Dungeon and last week I got elected in the local council for the Socialist Party. Apparently I'm in the middle of "Elect Terrebel"-month.
So what's next: neighbour of the month? Single father, weekend-daddy?

Going for ambassador of the month is Roland Edmond Arnall, the biljonair who co-sponsored Bush Junior's election and as a gift received the post of Ambassador of the US in The Netherlands. He made his fortune with Ameriquest, most likeley in several illegal manners. At the same time, in England truth has come out about Tony Blair giving sponsors of his party's campaign high seats in the English government.

Don't forget to check out http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ .

Fact

It's now a fact that George Junior knew of the danger of Katrina and simply choose to ignore the threat. Maybe because he was to busy to ignore the American Constitution with tapping phonelines without permission and closing nuclear pacts. The deal with India is that the US gives them every shred of information about how to construct nuclear plants in order to make nuclear missiles. In exchange India will grant permission to inspect their nuclear sites. Except for the ones that serve a military purpose. Great! One bright point: less than half the American population thinks George Junior is a good president.

My son and I recently went on a skitrip. It was the first in our lives and we thorougly enjoyed our weeks stay in Nové Hamry, a small town in the Czech Republic, not far from the German border. Bit strange though to go on holiday, the day after the cremation of a close family member...

Aunt Mary

Aunt Mary Doornik died last sunday; saturday I performed in The Rocky Horror Picture Show; today was my first ever job as voice-actor and coming saturday my son and I are off to the Tsjech Republic for our first ever Skitrip.
Today we received a new modem so we can join the internet-highway form home again.

Intervention

According to American defence-officials it is now proven that the American intervention in Iraq is an overwhelming succes. The past year the number of attacks on innocent citizens has increases with 30 percent in comparison to the year before.

Apparently that is a good thing. To Americans in power at least. I for one refuse to believe that every American is really that stupid. Take Guantanamo Bay. It now appears to be possible to execute prisoners. Without even the slightest hint of a trial.

What law does the US obey?

The last few weeks have been really hectic with regular work at The Amsterdam Dungeon, extra work at The Amsterdam Dungeon (SAW II live!), work at nightclubs, work for the Socialist Party, my kids and housecleaning and such. At the moment I'm at the local tobaconist since I've lost my internet-connectivity.

Corruption

Jack Abramoff does not want to go to jail for 30 years and therefore he sells out his partners in crime. The Republican Party seems to have some corrupt members, including some people in high places. Thanks to Jack Abramoff we will soon find out who is involved...

Thanks to my son, my mom and a colleague I had an excellent New Year's Eve. With my colleague we went to a nightclub nearby, after helping my son setting of fireworks. In this nightclub a couple of colleagues from The Amsterdam Dungeon performed in a Baywatch-act. Hilarious!

Last monday I took my kids to the Efteling, a fairytale fairpark. As it so happened Amsterdam Dungeon-colleague Marieke also works there ads so we got to ride with the Icequeen! Yesterday we went iceskating at a skaterink not so far away from here.

What have you been doing around the change of years?