BREAKEVEN (COVER) - MADDI JANE
And she's only eleven! This is amazing.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE (OR MORE)
Yesterday I celebrated 'Sinterklaas' with my friends.
For those of you who have never heard of him I copied and pasted a translation here:
Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nicolaas, de Goedheiligman or simply de Sint in Dutch [
pronunciation (help·info)]) and Saint Nicolas in French) is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, Suriname and Netherlands Antilles; he is celebrated annually on Saint Nicholas' eve (5 December) or, in Belgium, on the morning of 6 December. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Amsterdam, children and sailors. He is the basis of the mythical holiday figure of Santa Claus in the United States.
I in turn got a huge clock, because I'm known for always being late. All my friends were really creative. We had a great night. After that we watched a movie and sang and played the guitar for a while. Although it's not my favorite event of the year, I had a great time. It was close to beating christmas. ;)
For those of you who have never heard of him I copied and pasted a translation here:
Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nicolaas, de Goedheiligman or simply de Sint in Dutch [
pronunciation (help·info)]) and Saint Nicolas in French) is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, Suriname and Netherlands Antilles; he is celebrated annually on Saint Nicholas' eve (5 December) or, in Belgium, on the morning of 6 December. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Amsterdam, children and sailors. He is the basis of the mythical holiday figure of Santa Claus in the United States.Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas has a long red cape, wears a traditional white bishop's robe and red mitre, and holds a crosier, a long gold-coloured staff with a fancy curled top. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides agray horse.
[edit]Zwarte Piet
Sinterklaas and his Black Pete usually carry a bag which contains candy for nice children and aroe, a chimney sweep's broom made of willow branches, used to spank naughty children.Some of the older Sinterklaas songs make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and being taken back to Spain. The Zwarte Pieten toss candy around, a tradition supposedly originating in Sint Nicolaas' story of saving three young girls from prostitution by tossing golden coins through their window at night to pay their father's debts. They also climb down chimneys to fill the children's shoes with presents, this causes their skin to be black.
Basically, when you're younger you receive gifts from the 'Sint' in your shoe. You put your shoe by the chimney and you sing, hoping that he will hear. He puts a gift in your shoe if you leave a carrot or something he can give to his horse. The horse apparently also rides on the roof, which is really impossible. There are a lot of flaws to the story. It results in a big bag of presents left on the doorstep on the fifth of december. Once you get older the fun of only receiving presents wears off and you start to make gifts for other people.
The standard form is: a poem, a 'suprise' and a gift. The 'suprise' is the most important of the whole evening. You pull names out of a hat and you have to make something creatively for someone else. It somehow has to contain a hobby or characteristic of the person. I pulled my friend Janne and because she wants to go to Med School, I decided to make her cut open the chest of a doll.
I in turn got a huge clock, because I'm known for always being late. All my friends were really creative. We had a great night. After that we watched a movie and sang and played the guitar for a while. Although it's not my favorite event of the year, I had a great time. It was close to beating christmas. ;)So you might think that Sinterklaas is the most racist event on the planet it also is about giving and even though there's a guy who is a slave for the white guy. It has the spirit that christmas has and everybody works so hard to make something really nice. So in my opinion, that's what it's all about. So I hope I won't lose these friends. They mean the world to me.
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE - THE FRAY
Saturday, November 20, 2010
BICYCLE RACE
I had one of the worst days in a long time. This morning I wanted to ride my bicycle to school and I left my bicycle outside. I went to the front door and my bicycle was gone. It had been stolen and I felt so stupid to leave it outside. It had been stolen right from our front yard. So I couldn't go to school.
I actually turned in my Dutch column and my teacher really liked it! We actually got to read all of the columns. I read really good ones and really bad ones and I realized that the people I go to school with are really smart and articulate behind their shell. Some come across so different when they write. All my judgments actually vanished while reading.
My day was pretty boring after that, but just a few minutes ago my dad told me someone he knows had an interview with someone who is applying to Duke. The interviewer asked the girl: "If you could meet with anyone on this planet present or past. Who would it be?"
She said Adolf Hitler, which is one of the people I would have never thought of. I started to think about who I would want to meet with. My dad thought of Gandhi and I also got on the track of famous people. I was thinking Napoleon. And then I realized that I didn't want to meet anybody famous. I didn't really want to meet Martin Luther King or Gandhi. I was just thinking that, because I thought that was who they meant in the question. The truth is you can fill in that question in any shape or form it doesn't really matter.
Maybe you're starting to wonder who I would have dinner with? When I was a little girl I sometimes would feel lonely so I would put my hands up to the wall. I always thought that there was someone on this planet, at the exact same moment, putting his or hands on the wall thinking the same thing as I was thinking. It suddenly popped up in my brain and I realized that that was the person I would really like to meet. If that person really exists. He or she helped me through a lot, because I realized I was not alone and that person didn't really have to do anything. It made me feel less lonely and after every bad day I would have that ritual and the next day I'd feel better. So that's the person who I liked to meet. I don't do that ritual anymore. I don't need it anymore, but one of these days I would like to meet someone who did the same thing as I did.
Don't get me wrong, Gandhi, Hitler, Napoleon, Obama, George Washington are probably really interesting people. They will never know how I felt and they can not imagine how my life has been, but the person who is on the other side of my wall feels exactly like me. It's probably going to be a less interesting person, but they understand where I'm coming from.
Maybe you are starting to think who you would like to meet. Leave a comment. It will be interesting. And don't worry about mentioning a famous person. After all they probably have a much more exciting life. ;)
So now I just really want to ride my bicycle. :(
BICYCLE RACE - QUEEN
I actually turned in my Dutch column and my teacher really liked it! We actually got to read all of the columns. I read really good ones and really bad ones and I realized that the people I go to school with are really smart and articulate behind their shell. Some come across so different when they write. All my judgments actually vanished while reading.
My day was pretty boring after that, but just a few minutes ago my dad told me someone he knows had an interview with someone who is applying to Duke. The interviewer asked the girl: "If you could meet with anyone on this planet present or past. Who would it be?"
She said Adolf Hitler, which is one of the people I would have never thought of. I started to think about who I would want to meet with. My dad thought of Gandhi and I also got on the track of famous people. I was thinking Napoleon. And then I realized that I didn't want to meet anybody famous. I didn't really want to meet Martin Luther King or Gandhi. I was just thinking that, because I thought that was who they meant in the question. The truth is you can fill in that question in any shape or form it doesn't really matter.
Maybe you're starting to wonder who I would have dinner with? When I was a little girl I sometimes would feel lonely so I would put my hands up to the wall. I always thought that there was someone on this planet, at the exact same moment, putting his or hands on the wall thinking the same thing as I was thinking. It suddenly popped up in my brain and I realized that that was the person I would really like to meet. If that person really exists. He or she helped me through a lot, because I realized I was not alone and that person didn't really have to do anything. It made me feel less lonely and after every bad day I would have that ritual and the next day I'd feel better. So that's the person who I liked to meet. I don't do that ritual anymore. I don't need it anymore, but one of these days I would like to meet someone who did the same thing as I did.
Don't get me wrong, Gandhi, Hitler, Napoleon, Obama, George Washington are probably really interesting people. They will never know how I felt and they can not imagine how my life has been, but the person who is on the other side of my wall feels exactly like me. It's probably going to be a less interesting person, but they understand where I'm coming from.
Maybe you are starting to think who you would like to meet. Leave a comment. It will be interesting. And don't worry about mentioning a famous person. After all they probably have a much more exciting life. ;)
So now I just really want to ride my bicycle. :(
BICYCLE RACE - QUEEN
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
CANDLE LIGHT
After reading my post, my dad and sister came up with candles and we turned off the lights for a while.
It was fun!
Enjoy!
It was fun!
Enjoy!
SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
ALSO, two of my friends recorded this video. Dieske on piano and Eline singing. It's really good!
SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
NEW SHOES
Hello again!
It has been a long time since I've posted here and it is due to immense work load. I have my exam week next week so I'm stressed out.
For Dutch class we just got this really cool assignment to write a column. It's basically a blog post, but it has a bigger focus on grammar and sentence structure and a structure as a whole. I've decided to tell you something about the topic I chose.
Nowadays we use electricity like water. We don't even think about how much we depend on it and what our lives would like without. It's all part of the evolution of humans. Last week the lights in our street, our neighborhood and part of our city went out for a while. There was total darkness everywhere. Typically it switches back on after 5 minutes and you just sit in front of your laptop waiting for it to light up again. This time, however, it didn't. People have no obligations or chores they can do for the time being. And who is really going to stare into darkness for a whole hour. Eventually you have nothing else to do but go downstairs and light candles with your family and actually talk to them for a while. You always have some task set in your mind to do, but here you have nothing else to do. You realize that people without computers or lights had to cooperate on a much higher level than we have to. One of the reasons families are less close is because of the internet. People are far more interested in the lives of people outside of their house or even on the other side of the planet!
The thing I realized after a while was that it was kind of fun to just sit and talk by candle light. The conclusion of this story: when the light turned back on, the candles went out and everybody hid behind their computers again. The only one left was my mom who realized how destructive the internet is for families and here I am again sitting behind a computer writing to people across borders and seas. In some ways internet made a lot of things easier, in other ways it didn't at all.
Maybe after this story you should get up, light some candles and talk to someone you haven't really talked to for a long time. Who's in? ;)
I had one of my best friend's birthday on Saturday and I gave her a CD. I asked all my friends to think of a song that they always listened with her, which reminded you of her. I compiled the songs and gave it to her and it was really fun to give. It didn't cost a lot of money and she really liked it more than any of my bought presents. Now every song makes her think of someone. I picked the song: New Shoes - Paolo Nutini, because we used to love to listen to this song when we were in 9th grade. :)
I'm running out of inspiration, but I might have more time after exam week to let my mind flow a little bit.
Wish me luck!
It has been a long time since I've posted here and it is due to immense work load. I have my exam week next week so I'm stressed out.
For Dutch class we just got this really cool assignment to write a column. It's basically a blog post, but it has a bigger focus on grammar and sentence structure and a structure as a whole. I've decided to tell you something about the topic I chose.
Nowadays we use electricity like water. We don't even think about how much we depend on it and what our lives would like without. It's all part of the evolution of humans. Last week the lights in our street, our neighborhood and part of our city went out for a while. There was total darkness everywhere. Typically it switches back on after 5 minutes and you just sit in front of your laptop waiting for it to light up again. This time, however, it didn't. People have no obligations or chores they can do for the time being. And who is really going to stare into darkness for a whole hour. Eventually you have nothing else to do but go downstairs and light candles with your family and actually talk to them for a while. You always have some task set in your mind to do, but here you have nothing else to do. You realize that people without computers or lights had to cooperate on a much higher level than we have to. One of the reasons families are less close is because of the internet. People are far more interested in the lives of people outside of their house or even on the other side of the planet!
The thing I realized after a while was that it was kind of fun to just sit and talk by candle light. The conclusion of this story: when the light turned back on, the candles went out and everybody hid behind their computers again. The only one left was my mom who realized how destructive the internet is for families and here I am again sitting behind a computer writing to people across borders and seas. In some ways internet made a lot of things easier, in other ways it didn't at all.
Maybe after this story you should get up, light some candles and talk to someone you haven't really talked to for a long time. Who's in? ;)
I had one of my best friend's birthday on Saturday and I gave her a CD. I asked all my friends to think of a song that they always listened with her, which reminded you of her. I compiled the songs and gave it to her and it was really fun to give. It didn't cost a lot of money and she really liked it more than any of my bought presents. Now every song makes her think of someone. I picked the song: New Shoes - Paolo Nutini, because we used to love to listen to this song when we were in 9th grade. :)
I'm running out of inspiration, but I might have more time after exam week to let my mind flow a little bit.
Wish me luck!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
RED RED WINE
With lack of motivation I haven't posted for two weeks. In fact, I haven't been on my page for two whole weeks. Today I looked at my stats and there was someone from India looking at my page! :) Wow, that's amazing. :) Thank you! Come back, please! It gives me incentive to write more.
I've been a little stressed, because I'm running behind on school work. (yes, boring, but very important) I went to a tournament the weekend for frisbee and we came in first place! I was in an adult team. Half were under 20. We played this game called 30 seconds and that means you get a card and it has 5 things listed on it that you have to describe without saying the word itself. We played it a lot and it was so funny, because some things I had never heard of and all the adults had. We had this one incident where we didn't know who UB40 was and all the grown-ups had to laugh so hard. It was the joke of the weekend. Now we're talking about going to the concert with the whole team. ;)
Maybe, or maybe not, you're interested in the last 3 colleges I saw. I kind of skipped William & Mary and Duke. Well, my mind is kind of cluttered now so I can't remember the details too well. When I saw William and Mary it was beautiful. It's a pretty campus (like all schools in the US) and the students were really friendly. I actually got the e-mailaddress of a Dutch girl who goes there! I think her name is Jeltsje, which is real Frysian name. I had a lot of fun there. I would like to go there, but since it's a state school they have to make sure that 2/3 of the school comes from Virginian. I don't know if that would be a big problem for me I'm going to ask Jeltsje that. ;)
Duke was beautiful as well. I actually spent the night in a dorm with a girl called Amberlene. She's from California and she's Latin-American and I think she got a full scholarship to Duke. She is really smart and she's really having fun there, but I think I wouldn't be friends with her if I went to Duke with her. I always seem to get set up with people who are not really my type, but it was still a really fun experience. I still don't know if I liked Duke, because my dad likes it or if I like it because I really like. Either way, I don't know if I would like to go to the same school as my dad went to. I'm still confused about that part. The sorority and fraternity scene was also pretty big, it seemed. I'm not really into that so I'll have to deliberate about that.
A friend from America just got her SAT scores back and she had 2300, which is amazing!
I'm getting my PSAT scores back in December.:)
And another friend of mine is writing a really cool story! :)
I really haven't been inspired lately so I'm writing in the moment, but I might be after this weekend. ;) It's going to be a fun and eventful weekend.
Talk to you soon!
RED RED WINE - UB40
 |
| William & Mary |
Maybe, or maybe not, you're interested in the last 3 colleges I saw. I kind of skipped William & Mary and Duke. Well, my mind is kind of cluttered now so I can't remember the details too well. When I saw William and Mary it was beautiful. It's a pretty campus (like all schools in the US) and the students were really friendly. I actually got the e-mailaddress of a Dutch girl who goes there! I think her name is Jeltsje, which is real Frysian name. I had a lot of fun there. I would like to go there, but since it's a state school they have to make sure that 2/3 of the school comes from Virginian. I don't know if that would be a big problem for me I'm going to ask Jeltsje that. ;)
 |
| Duke |
A friend from America just got her SAT scores back and she had 2300, which is amazing!
I'm getting my PSAT scores back in December.:)
And another friend of mine is writing a really cool story! :)
I really haven't been inspired lately so I'm writing in the moment, but I might be after this weekend. ;) It's going to be a fun and eventful weekend.
Talk to you soon!
RED RED WINE - UB40
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