Shards of Reality

Images of the mind

2008-10-07T21:45:00.000+02:00

Older Spanish girl.
in her forties but so hot.
Got my knob tickling.

Sexy interim.
Golden hair, sun-tanned, slender.
But I am taken.

Russian financial.
Top notch; work, and body too.
My eyes kept roving.

Clad in sexy black
high heels, stockings, dress and blouse.
Stealthy looks my way.

But at home my wife,
sexiest woman of all.
It is her I want.
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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Images of the mind

2008-08-13T16:37:00.002+02:00

Her arms 'round my legs
Her mouth on me warm and wild
Her wetness tastes sweet

Technorati Tags : Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

My dad is in hospital - continued

2006-07-25T20:47:00.000+02:00

My dad is still in hospital, and he'll probably stay there for another two or three weeks. That could be a blessing in disguise as the temperatures here are nowadays 30+ degrees Celsius. My dad is doing well though he's complaining of pain in his back. The nurse explained to him that his body got rather ripped apart when the surgeons were operating on him, and that his body is now trying to get back to normal. That can be a rather painful experience. He's doing physiotherapy every day, and they took away the bandages that covered the incision. He looks rather flourishing nowadays and seems to be improving rather well.

Right out of surgery (13 July '06).
Epson R-D1
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/2 ZM
film: iso400; shutter time: 1/23 sec; aperture: f4

Out of Intensive Care, on the nursing ward (18 July '06).
Epson R-D1
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/2 ZM
film: iso200; shutter time: 1/39 sec; aperture unknown

Getting better (25 July '06).
Epson R-D1
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/2 ZM
film: iso200; shutter time: 1/52 sec; aperture: f4

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

My dad is in hospital - continued

2006-07-18T07:36:00.000+02:00

After a terrific sporting day at school, my little girl and I went to visit my dad in hospital. Over the past couple of days he's been improving well.

Yesterday he was allowed to sit up a bit, even walk a few paces. And he's eating "solid" food again. Today the doctors will decide whether he can leave the intensive care.

A big "Thank you!" to everyone who left messages to wish us well. It was heart-warming to receive them. My dad isn't back to normal yet but he seems to be on the right track. We all hope he'll get well soon again.

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

My dad is in hospital - continued

2006-07-15T20:25:00.000+02:00

Life sucks big time when a close relative, especially a parent, ends in hospital. But it sucks even harder when it seemed he was making a good recovery and then has a severe relapse. My dad was doing pretty well under the circumstances. He was transferred to a regular sick room in the hospital, he had removed the oxigen feed by himself the night before and the nurses had given him a mouth cap, he was talking and, though he was tired, he was bright and awake.

Last night, though, he suffered severe breathing problems, leading to hypoxia and anoxemia (lack of oxigen in blodd vessels, tissue and organs). It caused his blood pressure to drop again and he ended up being moved back to intensive care. I visited him this morning there. His situation seemed to have calmed and stabilised again. The nurse wasn't pessimistic about it, so I have good hope that my dad will pull through. One thing is that his kidneys might have suffered from this second hypoxia.

Pull through, dad! I know you're strong-bodied and strong-willed. If anyone can pull himself through this situation, it must be you. Besides, we have an appointment in Mongolia in two years!

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

My dad is in hospital

2006-07-14T10:25:00.000+02:00

Yesterday morning, around 9.45am, my father was admitted to hospital. His abdominal artery had ruptured, which hadn't been detected by his physician the day before. During the night, he lost more and more blood and only by shere luck and chance did my mother call 112 in time.

My father was rushed to hospital. en route he had to be reanimated as his blood pressure had dropped so low his heart gave out. In hospital he was in the OR in minutes, where the surgeons did their magic to save my father's life. Those were the hardest, longest couple of hours I can remember.

By quarter past twelve the surgeon came to tell us they had done their job. A part of the artery had been removed and replaced, and my father had made it through the operation. He had taken the first hurdle succesfully.

My father was then taken to IC, where the nurses and doctors stabilised him, hooked him to all kinds of monitoring equipment, medication and IVs. After a while we were allowed to see him. He didn't look to good, of course, but he didn't look too bad either. But the surface reveals little about the internals. The doctor explained what had caused this rupture, what was done to remedy it, what they would be doing in the next 24 hours and, most importantly, what complications and dangers were still lurking out there.

By 3pm we had all visited my father. Now there was nothing we could do. We decided to go home, get some rest and food, and return later for the evening visiting hour.

My father in hospital.
Epson R-D1
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/2 ZM
film: iso400; shutter time: 1/23 sec; aperture: f4

I arrived a little later then the rest, with my little girl. We had told her about grandpa's condition. She was utterly surprised. When we arrived at the IC, I was told that my dad was showing some great progress. He was already awake, was able to understand us, even already trying to communicate with us. Of course, he still looked like crap but he couldn't have made us happier. The visiting hour was soon over and we had to leave. All of us were in an optimistic mode, though I guess we all had that little warning voice in the back of our heads saying: "Don't sell the hide yet...!"

My father in hospital.
Epson R-D1
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/2 ZM
film: iso400; shutter time: 1/26 sec; aperture: f4

This morning my mother called me. She had called the IC to inform on my father's condition. He's strong and strong-willed (if not sometimes flat out stubborn) and during the night he had removed the breathing tube that was inserted into his throat. The nurses weren't too happy about that but allowed it anyway and had place a breathing mask over my dad's mouth.

It seems he's doing quite well considering the circumstances. If the doctors are satisfied, my dad might be moved to the Special Care Unit today.

Three cheers to the ambulance personel, the surgical team, the IC personel and everyone else who helped save my dad's life! You're too numerous to thank you all personally but you've all done a tremendous job. My father is still not out of the danger zone but thanks to all your good work at least he now has a fighting chance.

Technorati Tags : dad hospital emergency
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Eric & Valerie in East Village

2006-02-07T07:23:00.000+01:00

My little brother and his GF, Valerie, are in NYC. For three months! Have a really good time there, folks! They have a blog:

Valerie en Eric in NYC

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Keep our democracy alive

2005-12-23T05:49:00.000+01:00

Political voices in Holland are calling for a ban on the burka, the garment that covers a woman from head to toe, and which is sometimes worn by certain muslim women. The ban is called for out of security reasons: a woman dressed in a burka cannot be recognised and identified from a security camera. A burka-wearing woman could remain anonimous for the eye of the world! The fear of terrorism is great in the land of politicians.

But where will it end? People wearing baseball caps or sunglasses are also hardly identifiable from a security camera. Shall we thus ban baseball caps and sunglasses too? And then?

Environmental, ecology and anti nuclear energy activists are also under (often illegal) close scrutiny from the authorities and monitored by the secret services. Some of these activists wear woolen socks and leather sandals Shall we thus ban socks and sandals?

Criminals undermine society by selling drugs to children, committing crimes and executing their opponents in the middle of the street. Some wear expensive clothes, sport shoes, gold watches or jewelry. Shall we thus ban those too?

Banning clothes or making it illegal to participate in ordinary (civil) activities, like photographing and demonstrating, is breaking down the democratic foundations and principles of our open and free societies. Once we, the people, let politicians do that deconstruction and let them get away with it, we're opening ourselves up for fascism, dictatorship and censorship. And our enemies will have won! The terrorists will have achieved their goal: the annihilation of the free and open Western democracies.

Fight terrorism but keep our civil liberties intact. Keep our democracy alive!

Technorati Tags : terrorism democracy politics ban security anonimity activist authority government crime demonstration open society free society fascism dictator censorship civil liberties
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Energy, now and in the future

2005-12-18T21:44:00.000+01:00

While the US government is, slowly, admitting that energy preservation is necessary and setting up a program for youths, called Energy Hog, to make them aware about the use and waste of energy, in Holland they are now suggesting that nuclear energy is the way of the future. Mr Lubbers, who is chairman of the board of control of the Petten Energy Research Centre, claims that nuclear reactors have become safer and that nuclear waste is more and more recycled. "From a technological viewpoint we are ready for it", he states.

Greenpeace doesn't concur, and rightly so in my opinion. There's still no fail safe way to operate a nuclear plant, the risks of a meltdown or (near-)disaster are still very real, the consequenses of a meltdown or (near-)disaster are immense, nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for a 1000 year or more, safely disposing of nuclear waste is extremely expensive, and the risk that highly radioactive nuclear waste ends up in terrorist hands is slim but still there.

A real solution to the demand for energy would be the use of renewable and clean energy sources. None of these sources, like wind energy, solar energy, energy from biomass, etc., will provide the answer but combined they can, must and will. Combine these sources with preservation of energy use in cars, factories and buildings and we could soon be much less dependent on fossil fuels.

Technorati Tags : energy preservation Holland nuclear energy nuclear reactor nuclear waste recycling Greenpeace nuclear plant power plant meltdown radioactivity terrorist renewable energy wind energy solar energy biomass fossil fuel
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Fighting spirit

2005-12-15T06:02:00.000+01:00

The metro station where, each morning, I take the metro to work and where, each evening, I get off to go home again, is quite notorious. The other platform receives the train to and from the airport. Tourists and travelers are often waiting there for their train. Pickpockets, bag snatchers and other verminous thiefs were quite aware of this. The lack of police control had turned this station in a heaven for small time criminals. People resisting were regularly roughed up, threatened with knives or otherwise forced to give up their possessions. The chances for a thief of being caught were virtually zero. Things had gone way out of hand but, though it took a couple of years, the local government took action and things have turned for the better now. The increased police presence on the station and the trains, camera monitoring, security fences, and the presence of security guards have even led to the arrest of a terrorist suspect. The man was wanted for questioning and possible arrest as he was suspected of being a member of, or at least supporting with physical and material means, a terrorist group here in Holland, the same group that's held responsible for last year's murder of Theo van Gogh, the dutch cineast. That the man was up to no good anyway can be concluded from the fact he was apprehended with a cocked and loaded firearm.

Police, government and local transport corporations have started an anti-terrorism campaign. People can report suspicious packages, unusual situations and suspiciouly behaving people to the authorities. In the light of the recent bombings in Madrid and London, this campaign is easily understood. I'm just wondering why now? This kind of campaigns have been around in London for at least the past 10-15 years. It couldn't and didn't prevent the bombings. What it does do, or at least what people hope it'll do, is give people more fighting spirit, make them alert and ready. No more fear is what we need.

Technorati Tags : terrorism Amsterdam public transport crime bombing police fighting spirit
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Sweet smell of autumn

2005-12-14T06:04:00.000+01:00

It's half December. Late autumn in Holland. The weather is wet, grey and cloudy. It's windy too, so, even though the temperature is often closer to 10 degrees C than 5 degrees C, it feels nippy, sometimes outright nasty. The trees have by now mostly shed their leaves. The air smells of wetness and like a beer brewery. I like that smell, even when it becomes almost sickening sweet. The whole city is emerced in it, and thought the wind clears the air, still pockets of this fermenting hops smell linger in unexpected places. All of a sudden, the smell of beer drops on you like an ambush, like it was waiting in cover for a victim. Other times, a whif of air brings the sweet smell from around a corner, luring you, begging you to follow it. And what can I do? I must resist! I have other things to do, places to go, people to see. But it is so tempting to follow my nose, be lured into the unknown, and let myself be overwhelmed by this rich, sweet smell.

Technorati Tags : autumn Amsterdam Holland
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

El Día de Los Reyes

2005-12-05T08:07:00.000+01:00

It's becoming X-mas and tensions are running high again. With all the gift buying, surprise making, money spending and planning there's hardly anyone unaffected. Even when you are as cool as a summer's breeze, the people around you have tempers like a hurricane. I, personally, like X-mas mostly because of the free time. I can't stand, however, that all the shops/ libraries/ any other places are closed and that I can't go out to do things very much. I guess this year we'll visit grandma and grandpa but what else are we going to do those days?

For those of us who have had enough of the pressure and tension of X-mas there's a little bright light. It's called the feast of El Día de Los Reyes. Let me explain to you about this feast....

In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, children receive X-mas gifts not from Santa, but from los reyes magos - the three wise men. The three wise men leave gifts in the night of January 5, to be discovered on El Día de Los Reyes, January 6. Known as the feast of the Epiphany, the holiday makes a useful addition to your calendar, whether you want to add more spiritual meaning to X-mas or just relieve some seasonal pressure.

Have a family "undecorating" party on January 6. Spend the day taking down the tree and other holiday trimmings at a leisurely pace.

Have a quiet dinner of Mexican food afterward, if you want to lend a south-of-the-border flavor to the evening. Discuss what you liked about this X-mas season and what you might want to do differently next year. Think of it as "thinking out loud" time, though - not as a serious planning session.

Read the story of the Nativity and the three wise men who journeyed toward Bethlehem. While you're at it, read The story of the other wise man by Henry Van Dyke; it casts a slightly different perspective on the whole idea of X-mas.

Serve a rosca de reyes (king's crown), a crown-shaped sweet bread with small figures of babies baked inside. In Mexico, anyone who gets a piece with a baby inside has to give another party on or before Candlemas, on February 2, when the country's holiday season officially ends. A good way to extend the partying into the new year.

Make this the day you exchange gifts with friends. You'll avoid another must-do event on December's calendar, and you'll be able to put off some of your shopping until after the holidays, when you can take advantage of post X-mas sales.

The children's version of a king's crown takes different forms in different countries, but basically it's a cake with a trinket baked inside it. Whoever gets the piece with the trinket reigns as king or queen of the feast and gets to order everyone else around ' an extra-special treat if "everyone else" includes older brothers and sisters.

Children love to decorate king's crowns. Bake your own from a recipe - or simply buy a cake, cut a slit, and insert a bean or a trinket (or two trinkets if you want your feast to have both a king and a queen). Frost the cake in white icing tinted with yellow food coloring to achieve a crown-like shade of gold. Then turn the kids loose trimming it with "jewels" in the form of jelly beans, gumdrops, and gold and silver balls.

Make sure the babies, or whatever objects you put in your rosca de reyes, are too large to be accidentally swallowed. If you have very young children, use easily digestible "trinkets" such as big pieces of fruit.

Merry X-mas!

The story of the other wise man by Henry Van Dyke

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

World AIDS Day

2005-12-01T08:15:00.000+01:00

Today is World Aids Day. For some time to remember. For others time to start thinking. Peace and wisdom for all.

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Iraq from the ground

2005-11-01T20:35:00.000+01:00

To start, I'm not a fan of the war in Iraq or of the strong-arm methods the US pratices to get what they want from other nations. I'm not the only one, and I also know there are plenty of people who hold a different view. It's not my place to tell anyone I'm right in this case and they're wrong, so I won't. That the war has significant impact on many people and nations is, however, clear. What is clear as well is that the news reports in Europe mainly focus on the regular bombings in Baghdad, the ever increasing death toll among the US soldiery and (sometimes, when precious news time permits) the Iraqi population and the big boys in Washington.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find the blog by Michael Yon. It focusses on the regular grunt in Iraq, showing everyday life, their experiences on the streets, their encounters and, though the stories sometimes seem too peaceful or clean-cut, adds a level of realism to the war that is severly lacking in the news. The blog looks very professional, the stories are a good read, and in general I left the blog with perhaps not a better understanding of the war but at least a new angle of view, something that is in my opinion already a good thing. After all, it's better to found your opinions on two or three sources than on one, especially when that one is subject to availability and accuracy.

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Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

The end of an era

2005-10-24T10:02:00.000+02:00

We moved our things to our new house several weeks ago. What was left was the tiny storage room we had in the attic. Last Sunday, I cleared out this storage room. Most things were papers, old magazines and old cd-rom's. After separating the old, useless stuff from the things that still have some value to me, I was quite surprised about the amount of garbage I had collected over the past seven or eight years.

This morning early, I went back to the old house to throw out as much garbage as possible before the garbage men would arrive. Some boxes had to be re-taped (or else they would fall apart), and everything had to be carried three flights of stairs but I managed to get rid of about two-thirds of the garbage. When the garbage truck arrived in the street, I was happy with the work I was able to in the hour that I had.

Now I'm waiting for the power company to drop by to remove the geyser. Last Thursday, I had called them to tell them I no longer wanted to rent it. I assumed it would just be an administrative thing but no. It seems they lost many geysers in the past (the apparatus is full of copper and people would sell the copper to the scrap yard) and now it's policy to remove the geyser when the rent is stopped. Fine policy, of course, as it saves the company expenses and thus on the price I have to pay as their customer but it also means I was very late in the week with informing them and was in no position to negotiate a good appointment. I need this geyser removed today because the rest of the week I don't have time, can't take time off from work and the rent for the house ends October 31. So, now I'm waiting for the technician to drop by. All I have to do is wait, until 6 pm at the latest.

Being here in the old house makes me think about the years I have live here. I don't really have specific tales to share with you but a few thoughts have come up. First of all, the house looks a bit bigger now that it's empty. I know it didn't get any bigger but it definitely feels roomier. Secondly, it's cold in here! Every summer it seemed like I was living in a baking oven. The south facing windows let in the sun all day, heating up the house until no amount of wind could cool the place anymore. In autumn and winter, however, the place was decidedly drafty and cold. Today it's raining outside and I can feel the cold draft coming through the cracks of the sills, even straight through the window panes. Another observation is that it's also quite a noisy house. I can hear practically everything that happens in the street below. With the current construction work for the new metro line, that is quite some noise. I can still clearly remember the time when trams ran through the Ferdinand Bolstraat till after midnight and that they made quite some noise too. Not to mention the noisy, often drunk, people returning home after a night's out, the freaked out dogs left outside the downstairs supermarket and barking like crazy until their master would return, or the most disturbing noise of the trucks that come from 6 am to restock the supermarket.

Now it's time to stop reminiscing and to look to the future. I had very good times here, and some bad times too. I was very happy here but also lonely at times. Now it’s at an end. We're already getting quite used to the new house, finding places for our things, placing new furniture, and enjoying the extra space we now have. A part of me is still here in my old house and it finds it difficult to leave, but most of me has said goodbye and is already in the new house. I'll be here a few more times this week to finalise things. I still have a few days to say goodbye completely.

As it is, the technician came around ten past eleven, and had left again in five minutes. He did take the geyser. I'm off to home now.

Technorati Tags : property moving house
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

More moving house....

2005-10-21T10:03:00.000+02:00

Moving house is awful! It's darn nice to have a new house that's bigger, brighter and more comfortable to live in, but not only is the packing stressful (will we have it all done in time?!), on moving day you're working from morning till night just to get everything to the other house. You don't sleep much in those days, you're working like a slave, you don't get much rest and to boot you end up with a nice new house full with boxes and packed items that need a new place.

Another stressful part is to get all your mail delivered in the right place, to get all your contacts (especially the bank, the insurance company, your work, etc.). You don't realise until you move how much mail you get and how many address changes you need to pass on. Fortunately the mail company is willing to forward all your mail to your new address, for a fee. But that fee is small and the rewards are huge: no more worrying that you'll miss anything. And if you keep the envelops of the mail that got forwarded, you end up with a list of contacts that you still need to inform.

The worst part, however, is the cable company! Their online house moving notification service doesn't work properly. More than three weeks ago I filled out that service and was expecting at least some response within a week. Two weeks later, still nothing! So, I called them on their 10 cents per minute information number and was told they didn't have any record of my moving notification. The lady on the phone was very nice and placed another notification, and now, a week and a half later, we got a call that next week the technician will come by. And when then? Well, between noon and six! Meaning I'll need to take a half day off from work. Well, it seems that's the price we have to pay for a new house. :)

Technorati Tags : moving house property internet UPC TPG Post
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Moved house!

2005-10-12T08:07:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since I last wrote here on the blog but I've been terribly busy. In the past week We've packed up all of our belongings and moved house. I hope never to have to move again. :) We all worked hard and slept little, and still had to go to work and school.

Then, finally, last Sunday, we moved house with the help of my parents, my sister and her partner, and two of my friends. I'm truly greatful for all of their help. They did a great job, worked hard, put up with the heavy boxes, and were a great mental aid to Sumiya and me. It's good to have parents, siblings and friends you can fall back on.

And now we all are tired, physically and mentally tired! Except Nomin, of course, who recouperates so easily that we both are a bit jealous (in a nice way). Both of us are getting better, though. A few more days, a few good meals and a bit more sleep, and we'll be good again.

Anyway, if we ever move house again I'll definitely consider using a moving company!

Technorati Tags : moving company property parents siblings family friends
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Vive La Fete in Het Patronaat

2005-10-02T19:01:00.000+02:00

Last Friday, I went with Sumiya and my good friend Raymond to Haarlem to attend the free performance of the Belgian band Vive La Fete in Het Patronaat music hall in Haarlem. It was the celebration opening night of the renewed Het Patronaat and a free concert always attracts lots of people. This time it wasn't any different. Doors opened at 8.30pm and from the word "Go" it was clear that someone had made either a design error or made a big mistake with assigning crew to their tasks. Hardly had the doors been opened or they were already closed! As it turned out, the line waiting for the wardrobe was too long for the (inexperienced) crew to handle quickly. We waited for close to half an hour before we were let in again. Fortunately, all three of us could squeeze in this time, only to get stuck in the line for the wardrobe. A bit shoving and pushing and 5 minutes later, we were ready to go in, get something to drink, and wait for the band to show up.

Half past 9pm the band came on stage and set off. They gave away a wonderful performance! I can't remember having been to a better rock concert.

Vive La Fete is great! I love the combination of rock, punk, electro, new wave and techno house. I can't describe it, so you'll just have to listen to their cd's yourself. I enjoyed myself immensely and I'd wish the concert would have lasted much longer: an hour and a half simply wasn't enough. :)

To check out Vive La Fete take a look at the
Vive La Fete website
or at the
Vive La Fete official fanclub website

Vive La Fete.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
Iso setting, shutter time & aperture unknown

Vive La Fete - Nuit Blanche
Vive La Fete - Grand Prix

Technorati Tags : punk electro punk Blondie rock
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Home owners, we are.

2005-09-24T22:43:00.000+02:00

It's done! Yesterday we signed the deed to our new house and got the keys! Of course we dropped by the new house to take a look. It was still the same as in the morning when we went there for the final inspection. :) But this time we were the new owners, and that made the occassion a bit more special.

Thursday evening we bought a nice big oak dinner table. It'll be delivered next week. Now we only need a new washing machine, a couch set, new curtains, a new bed and table for Nomin, and... well, plenty of other things. I'll be broke for the next 6 months. :)

Technorati Tags : Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Data retention is no solution

2005-09-22T07:04:00.000+02:00

Time is running out
Data retention is no solution

Data retention is no solution.

Technorati Tags : data retention terrorism crime
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

"Urban" in the news

2005-09-20T18:03:00.000+02:00

The latest buzz word seems to be "urban". Well, perhaps not the latest (I heard the word being used in Dutch "youth" culture scenes over 15 years ago) but it's pretty well everywhere nowadays. The meaning has changed over the years as far as I can tell but, as usual with these buzz words, no-one actually knows what it means, and those who claim to know never seem to agree on the meaning. :)

Be that as it may, "urban" is cool and advertisers want to get on the band wagon. Fortunately, they fail to grasp the finer nuances of the scene and the more they try to commercialise the word, the faster the meaning shifts. Fast communications result in fast changing interpretations.

However, there are some admirable attempts to at least describe certain aspects of "urban". The article Urban in de Volkskrant on the New Media and Urban Culture blog (in Dutch!) is such an attempt. It's an interesting article about the Dutch "urban" radio station FunX, its audience and its reasons for being.

This article is well worth a read to understand at least a few aspects of what "urban" means. Just keep in mind that a few months from now the whole story could be different. Don't you just love modern culture? :)

Technorati Tags : urban Holland radio FunX buzz youth culture scene communications media
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Katrina aftermath

2005-09-16T08:40:00.000+02:00

Hurricane Katrina was one the worst disasters ever to hit the United States. But a worse, social, disaster is lurking: the further erosion of civil and constitutional rights.

Admittedly, I vote for the political left (that is, European left, not American Democratic left!) so perhaps I'm a little biased but when it comes to what is now happening in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina should be a wake-up call to every woman and man, of every creed and conviction.

While people are desperate for reliable, independent information from the disaster area, martial law has been declared and journalists and photographers alike are under threat. Blackwater mercenaries, who roam and patrol the NO disaster area, block the free gathering of information with threats and violence. News gatherers are liable to be captured and placed in custody, effectively stemming the tide of unfavourable news of the current crisis.

This is an outrage, and one that could have far-reaching consequences for everyone. If a government is willingly blocking critical inspection of its workings and actions, the nation as a whole has a duty to oppose this attitude with every means available. If we sit back and lot it go, we'll end up with dictatorship. Ask your veteran grandpa what consequences that could have, and what the cost will be to remedy it.

For some critical thinking take alook at these links. Make up your own mind, and act accordingly.

Fifty Crows
Alternet
MediaInfo
Democracy Now
NPPA
Digital Journalist

Technorati Tags : hurricane Katrina disaster democracy journalist constitution civil rights Blackwater mercenary martial law
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Free concert of Vive La Fete

2005-09-09T13:31:00.000+02:00

Vive La Fete, one of my favourite bands, will be playing FOR FREE in the "Grote Zaal" in music centre "Het Patronaat" in Haarlem on Fiday 30 September!

For more information, check Patronaat.nl.

I just love Vive La Fete. Their music gives me a good feeling, without being sugar sweet. In fact, their music is very reminiscent of 1980s punk and rock, with a seasoning of electro-pop, and a topping of joy and happiness. And the sexy blonde Els Pynoo isn't just "nice" to look at but also puts the voice to the songs in true punk way, adding much to the experience.

My favourite song is Maquillage (mp3). I can't get enough of that song, giving me energy and making me feel very lively.

Take a look at the
Vive La Fete website
or at the
Vive La Fete official fanclub website

Technorati Tags : punk electro punk Blondie rock
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Shards of Mongolia: Celebrations and international poetry festival in Mongolia in 2006

2005-09-08T18:16:00.000+02:00

For those of you interested in Mongolia and/or poetry, or perhaps is a poet, check out the announcement for an international poetry contest and festival in Mongolia in 2006 over on Shards of Mongolia.

You can still submit your poetry until 31 december 2005, so don't be late!
The prize winners will be announced in July 2006, while the award ceremony will be during the 26th World Congress of Poets, from 26 August until 3 September, 2006.
Both the announcement of the winners and the award ceremony will be held in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.

For more information on the festival, the contest or the 26th World Congress of Poets, you can contact Mr G Mend-Ooyo at mendooyo@magicnet.mn.

For more information on travel arrangements to Mongolia, you can contact us at shardsofreality at gmail dot com.

See you in Mongolia!
Technorati Tags : poetry Mongolia poetry festival poetry contest World Congress of Poets Ulaanbaatar Mend-Ooyo
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

New blogs on Mongolia and (Rangefinder) Photography

2005-09-07T19:02:00.000+02:00

Since a few days there two new "Shards of..." blogs. The first one is Shards of Photography. The blog describes itself as:

A record of my photography. Tips, information and news on rangefinders and SLR cameras, photography books, photography history, photographic art, travel photography, landscape photography and street photography. Reviews and links to information on photographers and photography websites and blogs. And I'll share my photos.

I prefer using rangefinder cameras and I've been very happy with my digital rangefinder. Positive aspect is that I'm now also using my digital SLR more often. It wasn't such a bad buy after all.

So, if you're into photography, and especially rangefinder photography, then come and visit Shards of Photography regularly. I'll be updating regularly. :)

The second "Shards of..." blog is Shards of Mongolia. The description goes:

A record of my travels to Mongolia, Russia and China. News, culture, photos, music, books, art, history, food, recipes, the environment and anything else related to Mongolia.

Mongolia holds a special place in my heart. My wife and daughter are Mongolian, so it's understandable I feel some sort of affection for their native country. But Mongolia means more to me. It's a place where I feel at home, where I enjoy going, where I have great relatives, and where I want to live in the future. For those who don't have the opportunity to visit Mongolia (and you can always contact me if you want information or have me arrange a trip or such), at least visit the Shards of Mongolia blog.

Technorati Tags : Mongolia rangefinder photography
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Mortgages!

2005-09-07T16:30:00.000+02:00

My mortgage application is not going the way I want it.

Three weeks ago I sent notice to my surveyor to value the property that we want to buy. Several days after that I received a tender from the mortgage advisor, which I duely filled in. So, three weeks ago I had sent in (by internal company mail as I work for the same company!) the signed tender together with all the documentation needed for the mortgage and the additional, but required, insurance.

Days later I received a new tender, based on the value gleaned from the survey. Again I filled it in and that friday I sent, again by internal company mail, all the required papers back to the mortgage advisor.

Then, the next tuesday, I called the mortgage advisor to inquire what would be the next step, only to learn that they hadn't sent any of the documents to the insurance department yet! They had received everything on monday morning but hadn't bothered to deal with it yet. Their excuse? They don't deal with internal mail. They prefer me sending things by regular mail, which of course takes days more and forces me to send everything by registered mail with no guarantee my papers will arrive the very next day!

But they assured me they'd sent things off to the insurance department that same day, and that I should call back a week later on Wednesday as the insurance department needs about 5 working deals to evaluate my insurance application.

Yesterday I got a call from my real estate agent. She had rather shocking news. The seller's real estate agent had called that the annulment period had past and they were wondering whether I was going through with the buy. I had no answer for her! My mortgage is dependent on the insurance policy, and that is dependent on the decision from the insurance doctor. And I was expecting that decision the next day (today!). My agent negotiated with her counterpart over an extension of the annulment period and was succesful.

So, this morning around 10am I called the mortgage advisor, who, as usual, was in a meeting. I left a notice asking her to call me back as soon as possible. By 3pm I hadn't heard from her yet and called again. She had a few things to say. Firstly, the financing is OK. My income is sufficient and the execution value of the property is high enough. Secondly, they transferred the bank guarantee to the notary's bank account but, thirdly, they're still waiting for the insurance doctor's approval. Odd, isn't it, to cough up the 10% bank guarantee already but not even knowing yet whether I'll be eligible for the insurance?

Just now I got the letter from the insurance doctor, asking me for additional information on something that happened some 4 years ago. I'll have to do a lot of phone calling tomorrow, get the information the doctor needs on the fax and pressure my mortgage advisor to demand preferential treatment for my insurance application. If I don't have a definite answer by friday late afternoon, I'll have to consider whether to cancel the buy or take the risk and go ahead without being 100% certain of the mortgage. Living dangerously keeps you feeling alive but risking a 200 thousand euro debt, even though buying a house is quite a good investment, is a bit too dangerous for my tastes. :) To be continued....

Technorati Tags : mortgage insurance loan surveyor tender survey health insurance life insurance real estate agent real estate annulment house property income salary bank transfer
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Indian terrorism

2005-09-04T21:05:00.000+02:00

Whenever I was in India, nothing amazed me more than the continuing danger rebel and terrorist groups pose in so many places all over India. It's regularly in the news, though it doesn't take any front page headlines anymore unless it's a highly public attack like some time ago in Mumbay. Again today there was report of a bomb explosion, this time about 500km south of Raipur. The following article was taken from Reuters.

KOLKATA (Reuters) - Maoists rebels set off a landmine under a security vehicle, blowing it high into the air and killing at least 23 policemen and a civilian in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Sunday.

Three policemen were wounded in the blast, one critically.

The explosion occurred late on Saturday near the remote and impoverished Dantewada district, some 500 km south of the state capital, Raipur.

"At least 23 policemen and a civilian were killed in the massive attack," Chhattisgarh home minister Ramvichar Netam told Reuters by telephone from Raipur.

"The explosion was so powerful that it blew the vehicle about 30 ft in the air. The vehicle was torn apart and it came crashing down with its occupants."

Inspector general of police M.W. Ansari said the landmine had been planted close to a culvert along a forested stretch in the remote district that is known to be a Maoist stronghold.

Thousands have died in three decades of Maoist insurgency across eight Indian states. Rebels have killed politicians and policemen and blasted factories and government offices.

Last month, Maoists killed 10 people, including a lawmaker and a government official, in an ambush in Andhra Pradesh.

The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of peasants and landless labourers in the country's rural hinterland, often holding their own courts to resolve disputes and killing officials they believe are corrupt.

Maoist rebels in Nepal fighting to overthrow the nation's monarchy and their Indian counterparts vowed last week to join together to promote communism, reinforcing fears that the bloody insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom could spill over into India.

In August, India's home ministry said there were about 9,300 armed Maoist rebels in the country, adding that social and economic disparities in states like Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh were a key reason for the Maoists' influence.

Technorati Tags : India terrorism rebels landmine Mao insurgency Nepal Himalaya politics security
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Looking for your dream house?

2005-09-04T17:09:00.000+02:00

Looking for your dream house? For those living or moving to Holland and looking for a house or real estate to buy, there's no other starter source than funda.nl. This search engine for real estate is wonderfully simple to use. It let's you select not just your price but also region, postal code and even a particular address. Interested only in real estate in new development projects? You can select that. Looking for an apartment or free-standing house, or building land? Just select it from the appropriate menu.

When you've made your choices, the website gives you an overview of all the properties that meet your choices. Select one of these and you'll be presented with an extensive overview of not just the property but also the neighbourhood. You'll instantaneously know whether it is a high-income, high-education area or not; or whether there are many singles living there, or young families with young children. It's never a bad idea to visit the neighbourhood a few times at different periods to get a feel for the place, or to talk to some people in the neighbourhood, but the information funda provides gives you a head start.

The detailed information on a property even includes an estimate of the monthly mortgage expenses and the "service costs". This realy comes in handy when comparing properties as the asking price is often not the clincher but the service costs!

When you've made your choice, you simply click the link to email the real estate agent to make a visiting appointment. From there on it's all up to you, your mortgage advisor and your real estate agent, but at least you've saved yourself a lot of money already, had a good time searching for that dream house and made your thoughts much clearer on what kind of property you want and what that property will cost.

We used funda and found what we were looking for, for a reasonable price, in a nice neighbourhood. We consider ourselves very lucky to have found what we wanted, and we have funda to thank for it.

Technorati Tags : real estate property finance money loan mortgage income education children single dream house
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

"Under the weather" soup recipe

2005-09-04T12:35:00.000+02:00

My special "Under the weather" soup is wonderful if you feel a bit... well, under the weather. :) Feeling a bit wobbly? Bit of a soar throat? Not feeling quite 100%? Make this soup, eat it hot, and you'll feel much better.

Let's start. Cut 1 onion, 1 paprika, 2 spring onions and 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Heat a layer of sunflower oil in your stirfry pan. Add half a teaspoon of curry powder, half a table spoon of ginger powder, a nice sprinkling of Thai fish oil, and 2-3 table spoons of Baktat Scharfe Paprikasosse. Mix the spices well with the oil.

When the oil is hot, add the cut vegetables, add some salt and stir it all well. Keep the fire high, and keep stirring and frying the vegetables for a few minutes.

Add 1 liter of water to the mixture of oil, spices and vegetables. Also add 2 cubes of stock cube. In Holland, Maggi bouillonblokjes are good. In the UK, these cubes are also known as Oxo cubes, though I have no idea if they're good or not.

Heat the water until it boils. Then add 5-6 chicken drumsticks and 3-5 table spoons of tomato sauce. Cook it all on a high fire for upto 10 minutes.

Add 2-300 grams of peas and the same amount of kidney beans. Stir everything well before you let it all boil on medium fire for some 30 minutes. The chicken will then be cooked properly.

Serve it hot! Eat it hot!

Technorati Tags : soup recipe chicken
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Loans, mortgages and such

2005-09-04T11:55:00.000+02:00

I could never have imagined myself taking out such a huge loan as I did for our new house. Of course, I had a bit of a student loan yeeears ago but we're talking a petty 1500 euros or so, and I paid that back loooong ago. And, as a former student, I know what it means to be over drawn on your bank account. There were years that my monthly bank statements never saw black numbers! I'm glad that that time is behind me now.

My past financial experiences made me decide never to take out a loan again but to try to pay for everything in cash and in full. And if that was not possible, then no dice! I've been able to live by that creed for the past 8 years now.

But circumstances change and we needed a bigger house; real estate that would suffice for our needs for the next 10-15 years. Thankfully, I have a nicely paid job and was able, after much internal consideration and debate, to take out a mortgage. I'm not going to divulge the sum but it's a number between 150 and 200 thousand euros. A really big sum, and one that I never before imagined to loan.

We're now only waiting for the health expert of the insurance company to approve my application. Then the bank guarantee will be submitted to the seller, and we'll have our house!

Wish us luck! :)

Technorati Tags : loan mortgage insurance money bank finance cash real estate job
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Leica, or not?

2005-09-04T11:12:00.000+02:00

Who said you need top-of-the-line gear to make good photos? I know tons of Leica owners will claim their super expensive but super quality cameras and lenses will give them super photos but, truth be told, it's not the equipment that makes the photo. It's the photographer, with the aid of his gear, who makes the shot.

For example, my brother isn't into photography at all. He doesn't own a Leica, doesn't own a pro digital Canon or Nikon, and doesn't care much for it either. Years ago, he bought himself a starter Nikon SLR (single lens reflex), which he consequently used just once on a holiday to record his vacation. The camera just didn't do it for him. A few years later he got himself a digital P&S (point-&-shoot), a Kodak DX6340. Not a top-of-the-line camera, not expensive as a Leica, not equiped with all kinds of bells and whistles. But he uses it, at home and on vacation, and he is taking very nice photos with it. In my opinion, that's what counts.

Greek island, seen from Kos.
Kodak DX6340
Taken by Eric T. Lang while on vacation in Kos.

Technorati Tags : Greece holiday Kodak Leica Canon Nikon photography digital camera SLR P&S Kos vacation
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Kiev

2005-09-04T10:26:00.000+02:00

One or two weeks ago, I put up a WTB on Rangefinderforum.com for a Kiev 4AM. Soon I got a message from one of the members. Brett had one on offer, and for a very reasonable price. We set up the deal, and soon I had paypal'd him the money. Yesterday I got the Kiev and boy-oh-boy is it nice! No picture of it or with it yet. I first will have to take it out into the sunlight before I can show anything. :)

Technorati Tags : Kiev rangefinder camera photography paypal
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Long lost tangkas returned

2005-09-03T12:42:00.000+02:00

Buddhism has been very important in Mongolia for many centuries. The Socialist revolution of 1921 put a virtual end to the political and religious power of the Bogd Khan. When he past away in 1924(?) it meant the end of the influence of Buddhism. Persecution of Buddhist leaders, round-ups and the execution of Buddhist monks and the destruction of Buddhist temples and religious artefacts followed. Many lost their lives by the bullet or in the work camps, many artefacts were destroyed or looted. But some of it was hidden by very brave and couragous people; being caught meant prison, torture and possibly worse.

After the fall of the Socialist regime in 1989, Buddhism once again came to the front. Many of the old people had never entirely given up their religion but now they were once again able to go to temple and make offerings and have mantras read. The collapse of the economy in the early 1990s was a severe blow to Mongolian society, with many people becoming unemployed and very poor almost over night. Many turned to religion for comfort and support. And while some were drawn to Christianity, most were drawn to the religion of their ancestors: Buddhism.

Now that Buddhism is back to stay, there's also an increased interest in finding back those Buddhist artefacts that were hidden away all these decades ago. The follwoing article was copied from the Mongolia Today website.

Unique Tangkas

Very few people knew about the existence of these magnificent tangkas. Ever since the brutal crackdown of the Buddhist religion in 30s, they were hidden in cellars and only last year the residents of the capital city were able to see them for the first time.

Capital city residents saw this giant tangka of God Ochirvaani last in 1935. The picture is taken in mid-20s

These tangkas were made specially for annual Buddhist ceremony of summoning wealth and protection for Mongolia. On that day almost all monks marched around Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) streets chanting prayers and carrying on long poles these giant magnificent tangkas with the images of God Ochirvaani, the Protector of Mongolia and meaning eternity, longevity, health and well-being. The ceremony was completed with a Tsam Dance ceremony depicting a mythological battle between good and bad spirits.

Last time Tsam Dance was held in mid-30s and ever since tangkas were stored in the cellars of the Mongolian Fine Arts Museum. "Hand made silk is very strong. It is amazing that it remained almost intact despite decades of laying in humid cellars," says B.Davaasuren, an expert with the Fine Arts Museum. "We have underground water seeping in and have to keep the artifacts on wooden shelves."
Tangkas were so huge that the Museum has had to remove inside columns to spread them for restorarion works.

"We heard that there were even special technology and instruction for preserving such silk tangkas but we do not know. When we were unwrapping the tangkas I could her the fabric tearing off there and here. My heart was hurting by these sounds, they are more than 90 years old."

The Museum has another two huge tangkas. The size of God Sengiiraz alone is 16.17 meters long and 11.45 meters high. And nobody knows the condition of these tangkas as they were never displayed since 30s.

Tangkas were so huge that the Museum has had to remove inside columns to spread them for restorarion works.

The technology of making tangkas is very elaborate requiring teams of women to work for months. Often the tangkas were decoaretd with golden threads, silver and precious stones. Because of this technology such size tangkas were made very rarely and cost fortune. Only large monasteries were able to afford such tangkas to decorate their interiors.
The tradition of silk tangkas can be traced long time back, but their heyday came in the period of Buddhism expansion across Asia.
The biggest problem was to find space to lay down tangka for restoration. To spread 14 to 10.8 huge tangka the Museum has had to move away hall columns.

That period tangkas are made according to strict canons of Tibetan Buddhism. But since religious art played such a significant role being almost the only channel for artistic creativity, often art side won over religious meaning. For example, God Ganzai's tangka made by Urga master Khasgombo represent a real masterpiece. Made with only 2-3 dominating colors it has internal harmony and rhythm ingrained.

During the socialism the Buddhist arts were considered "reactionary" and "outmoded." As the result, tangkas were banned and forgotten.

Technorati Tags : Mongolia Buddhism tangka Socialism Communism religion art Buddha Khan
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Cameras of China

2005-09-02T14:40:00.000+02:00

Now this is wonderful! Who would have thought that there's actually someone not just interested but also collecting Chinese rangefinder cameras! This is a 2004 article from the Shanghai Star, written by Li Jian, and copied from the China Daily website.

The dream of writing a book on the cameras of China has been rooted in Zhao Zhenxin's heart for 20 years. He aimed to record the history of Chinese cameras before the old cameras and their manufacturers disappeared completely.

Zhao Zhenxin.

To realize his dream, the 56-year-old has spent the past two decades searching out cameras manufactured all over the country.

Zhao has collected more than 300 cameras in different categories which were manufactured in China from the 1900s to the 1990s.

The Chinese Camera History Museum, as Zhao named his office, boasts abundant research materials on Chinese cameras.

The museum is nothing more than a little apartment on the first floor of a building in a run-down residential area in Shanghai.

Zhao bought the apartment in 2000 and converted the biggest room into the exhibition room for his precious cameras. Admission is free.

The smaller room was occupied by computers, piles of documents and books on photographing and cameras.

Nobody is likely to pay attention to the brown weather-beaten apartment. What distinguishes the little museum from the other old houses around is a board marked with its name and its collection of more than 300 cameras.

Rich collection
The earliest camera in Zhao's collection dates back to the early 1990s, but no record of the camera's specific history remains.

The small black box was believed to be one of the earliest cameras made in China, with a tiny lens and an iron rod serving as the shutter.

It used special film, smaller then the ordinary type and believed to be no longer obtainable.

The Shanghai 58-1 was another precious item. This hand-made camera, costing US$10,000, was one of the few Chinese-made models which could compete with its counterparts from other parts of the world.

"The old cameras recorded the history of China's industry and technology. Each camera has a story behind it," said Zhao.

Apart from the cameras, Zhao also collected many precious camera accessories such as the light meters from different times.

Zhao's collection and his research into cameras began with his experience of taking photos for his son.

He had to borrow a camera every month to take photos of his new born child. Cameras were regarded as luxurious possessions in China at that time.

Expensive hobby
He gradually became addicted to photography and craved his own camera. He spent a lot of time window-shopping in camera shops and second-hand goods stores for a camera he could afford.

He intended to buy an imported camera but the prices were too high since his monthly wages only amounted to 30 yuan (US$3.60) at that time.

He encountered a military officer in a second-hand goods shop who was trying to sell his camera, a German-made Leica.

Zhao bought the cameras for 70 yuan (US$8.50), spending all of his family savings.

The camera needed repairing, a complicated task for Zhao. Zhao's leisure time was completely consumed by the piles of camera parts, books on cameras and paying visits to experts. The camera was restored to working condition after a year's patient efforts.

Zhao interest in cameras blossomed following this experience.

His family often found him in camera shops, second-hand shops or recycling stations.

He also placed advertisements in newspapers looking for old cameras from all over the country.

As a salesman, he had the opportunity to travel to different places, where he could collect the cameras manufactured by local factories.

Idea for a book
It was Douglas St. Denny who gave Zhao his great inspiration. St. Denny wrote the first book on Chinese cameras in the 1980s.

Zhao was shocked to learn that the only history of Chinese cameras had been written by a foreigner.

The idea of writing a better book on Chinese cameras came to him when he found out there were a lot of mistakes in St. Denny's book.

He devoted himself even more whole-heartedly to the collection of old Chinese cameras, especially those made during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as those made before 1949, which were seldom mentioned in St. Denny's book.

Most of the Chinese cameras were the copies of foreign cameras. For example, Leica cameras from Germany and Sports cameras from the former Soviet Union were frequently copied.

The small number of each model meant finding an example was often difficult. Most had not been made for sale, and they had often been treated negligently.

Almost all of the 40-odd camera manufacturers had disappeared, with only two remaining in Shanghai. Zhao paid visits to many local manufacturers, only to find the old factories leveled to ground.

It was also hard to obtain information, with the manufacturers rarely welcoming his visits. A large proportion of Zhao's cameras were unaccompanied by fundamental information, lacking even a manufacturing date or address.

"It was the responsibility of the cameras to build a museum. But I shouldered it myself on behalf of the manufacturers, even the country. They thought it was my responsibility to do it," complained Zhao.

Zhao did not receive any financial support from the manufacturers, except for the occasional old camera.

In 1995, Zhao changed his job to international trade, achieving success that provided him with a more solid financial basis for his hobby.

Overseas interest
He bought an apartment near the downtown to use as his museum and display his collection. The museum opened to the public in 2001 and has developed into one the biggest museums featuring old Chinese cameras.

What surprised Zhao was that the number of foreigners was larger than that of Chinese. Many of these foreign visitors were even familiar with Chinese cameras.

Yet Zhao found it hard to manage the museum on his own. It also proved quite expensive.

"Although my camera collection has cost most of my savings, my family stands by me," said Zhao.

His son, a computer programmer, built a web site for his father to help the museum expand its collection.

"It is impossible for a single individual to collect all the kinds of Chinese cameras along with the relevant information unless the government provides some support," Zhao said.

"The cameras are not only the tools of photographers and the possessions of collectors but also a witness of the development of the national camera industry."

Zhao said he would donate all his collections to the museum once it was built.

Zhao has now begun to write his book, "Cameras of China", on the basis of his abundant collection and accumulated knowledge.

Leica M7 Starter Set
The Hove International Blue Book Guide Prices for Classic and Collectable Cameras
First complete guide to 110 Russian cameras

Technorati Tags : China camera rangefinder Shanghai hobby photography Leica FED Zorki museum
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Who were Hunnu?

2005-09-02T09:35:00.000+02:00

Interesting article from a Mongolian website that hasn't been updated in 3 years. The direct link to the article is Who were Hunnu?

Who were Hunnu?

For many decades the study of ancient history of Mongols was subject to ideological directives and politics. And therefore, with the removal of political and ideological restraints after political reforms of 1990, archeology now experiences a boom.

One of the hottest areas is the history of Hunnu, a nomadic tribe that ruled the vast stretches of Central Asian steppes and forced China to go into extreme effort of building the Great China wall in attempt to protect against devastating raids.

The name of Atilla, the Hunnu king who led his men all the way to the walls of Rome and destroyed it to the horror of the Europe an nations probably rings a bell.

Hunnus become known around I-III centuries B.C., around the time armies of Greek Alexander the Great launched their offense against Persia and India.

The Hunnu kingdom stretched from Baikal Lake in the north to Great Chinese Wall in south, from Yellow Sea to the oases of Central Asia.

The state, ruled by a king or Shanyu elected by assembly of all tribe chieftains- khurultai, was built on the principle of military democracy under which all the nomadic herders were warriors and subjects at the same time.

Chinese historical records noted that each autumn all men and cattle were counted to decide the amount of taxes and army subscripts.

Hunnu army was based on decimal system and was well armed. Rock paintings from that period depict armored knights and horses protected with aprons embroidered with metal plates.

Hunnu domesticated various animals including camels and grew crops. Inside graveyards corn grindstone and parts of plough prove that their grew crops.

Hunnu knew metal works as the amazing number variety of their arms suggest. Each and very Hunnu warrior had various arms for close and distance combat. Plenty of bronze and potter kitchenware proves that Hunnu had well developed craftsmen.

The decline of Hunnu empire began in the first century B.C. starting from the rivalry of two princes, Huhan’e and Zhizhi. After several major battles the younger brother fled, leading his men to West, towards the Caspian Sea.

500 years later, their descendants migrated further reaching Dunai River and setting up own kingdom headed by Atilla.

The remaining and weakened Hunnu fell under the repeated assaults of a neighboring nomadic tribe, Xianbi, which appeared on the eastern flanks of the Hunnu empire.

Recent research suggests that Hunnu did not differ much from modern Mongols in their appearance and may represent their ancestors.

Anthropological studies show that the Mongoloid race or Central Asian type was already well shaped by the time of Hunnu.

This a final conclusion made by Prof. G.Tumen, Chair of the Anthropology and Archeology of the Mongolian National University, after more than 30 years of comparative study of skulls from Stone Age to modern times.

DNA analysis also proved the consistency of genetic lines between Hunnu and modern Mongols. This scientific conclusion implies that Atilla the Hun was indeed an ancestor of Chinggis Khaan.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Attila: The Scourge Of God

Technorati Tags : Mongolia The Huns Anthropology Archeology Central Asia Attila the Hun China Chinggis Khaan Genghis Khan DNA Russia
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Mongolian movies in Amsterdam

2005-09-02T07:32:00.000+02:00

On a Mongolian note. We don't seem to have an extensive Mongolian society here in Holland but Mongolian art and culture is at times well represented. This month there is at least 1 performance to attend here in Amsterdam.

This time it's a childrens' movie Sucho and the horsehead violin in KIT. The storyline would indicate an interesting movie. From the KIT website:

One day, Sucho, a herder boy, meets a white horse with which he sets forth to journey around the world. This Mongolian folktale, Sucho and the Horsehead Violin, is a musical performance about friendship, loyalty and deceit.

Age: 8+
zondag 11 september 2005 14:00 Kleine Zaal
Eu 4,- (t/m 13 jaar) Eu 8,- (14+)
Eu 8,00 (Eu 4,00)

Another movie, one that's been running for 55(!) weeks now in Rialto Filmtheater, is The Story of the Weeping Camel. National Geographic has this to say about the movie:

The Story of the Weeping Camel is an enchanting film that follows the adventures of a family of herders in Mongolia's Gobi region who face a crisis when the mother camel unexpectedly rejects her newborn calf after a particularly difficult birth. Uniquely composed of equal parts reality, drama, and magic, this film is a window into a different way of life and the universal terrain of the heart.

This is one very nice movie. I enjoyed it very much. It's slow moving but the landscape and the humor makes up for that. The final scene is specially touching and emotional. I had to wipe away a tear. :) Higly recommended.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

Technorati Tags : Mongolia Weeping camel Gobi Amsterdam children desert movie culture folktale art film Holland drama
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

Qumana? Technorati?

2005-09-01T22:06:00.000+02:00

Now what is this?

I'm trying out a little program called QumanaLE, which let's one create blog entries offline. In itself a really useful tool but I'm not too satisfied with this particular one. It's kinda slow working, I haven't been able yet to set templates, and there are some awkward things when it comes to editing what you've typed. It does come, however, with an in-build Technorati tags tag generator.

[edit] I can't say I'm too happy with the result of this program! It creates very bad HTML, and there's no way to edit links once you've created them. If I still have to go to my Blogger page to edit the posting, I might just as well write and post from there immediately. I can't endorse this program, so I removed the link to the website. IMO this is what we call in dutch "broddelwerk".

I just found out about Technorati. It looks like a pretty nifty website. Being able to search for particular tags, which index a blog entry's contents, is yet another way of finding the information you want in the information jungle of the internet. I'll have to remember this tagging. I may have to give it place in my entry template.

Technorati Tags : Technorati blog HTML internet information
Shards of Reality http://remylang.blogspot.com/

What would Genghis Khan do?

2005-09-01T21:17:00.000+02:00

Via the Cuppa Chai blog of another Mongolia fan I found this article. Pretty cool idea! What would Genghis Khan do? Apart from the spelling (I definitely prefer Chinggis Khaan) there's little wrong. Turning the other cheek, like our man Jesus, or take revenge, like the great Khaan? Decisions, decisions! And as long is our actions are like Jesus' (it'll keep you out of jail), our thoughts can be like the Khaan's.

Facts of life

2005-08-31T12:41:00.000+02:00

Today is a sad day for my sister and her husband. Her father-in-law has passed away last week, and today is the funeral. Rob and Manja, my sincerest condolences. I didn't know Wim very well but I've always liked his company. To me he seemed one of the good guys.

Because of the funeral my nephew and niece are staying over at grandma and grandpa's house. But grandma is away all day and grandpa is attending the funeral, so we are taking care of Timo and Zoë. This morning early, Sumiya went to grandma's house to take care of the two little rascals. I stayed at home with Nomin, who's a little ill with an inflamed throat. By 9am we got up, got ready and went over to grandma's house. Here Nomin played for a while with Timo and Zoë.

By 11.30am we decided to go towards our house. There's a little playground just around the corner where they played for some time. Right now, we're home and the children are building a house from chairs and blankets, and are playing nicely together. Perhaps we'll take them to a nearby petting zoo but it's warm outside and I think Zoë will be tired soon; she's only two years old and walked quite a bit today.

Living in Mongolia

2005-08-30T21:20:00.000+02:00

Now that I'm talking about this admirable environmentally friendly project I might as well talk about something related. In a number of years (think 15-20 years from now) I'm planning on living in Mongolia permanently (or semi-permanently if the laws require me to do so). Of course, we can buy a house in Ulaanbaatar but housing blocks and apartment buildings are heated centrally (which can and does fail on a regular basis in certain districts), rooms have rather poor ventilation, and power interruptions frequently occur.

We could also live in the traditional nomad's dwelling, the ger. This dwelling has served the Mongolian people and their ancestors well for the past 2-3000 years but in terms of comfort it's no match for a proper house. A ger offers only limited space, virtually no privacy, and has poor ventilation. The main advantage, its mobility, has little value in a sedentary lifestyle.

Sofar the best option would be to build our own house, to our own specifications. We have a gazar in the outskirts of UB and we want to build our house there. The land is quite far from the city centre, about 11 km or a cool 30-45 minutes by bus, and is not connected to the sewer or water system. Electricity is available but brown-outs and black-outs frequently occur. Cooking is done on stoves burning wood or coal. From experience I can tell you that living there in winter is NOT easy at all.

In the past few years, as my thoughts have been coming together and gained strength, I've been reading up on how to make ourselves less dependent on the general utilities and more dependent on our own devices. Did you ever see the BBC series The Good Life? Well, something like that but better. :)

Planning the lay-out of the house is one such theme where we could reduce our heating needs. Isolation of walls and roof is another. Solar electricity, use of the sun's heat, wind power; all could be sources of heat, hot water and electricity. Human and kitchen waste can be re-used as fertiliser, or (if we feel very brave) as a source of bio gas. A simple greenhouse could provide us with a supplement of vegetables, potatoes, and fruits while chicken, a goat or pig, or even a cow could provide us with wool, milk, eggs or meat.

Over the past few years I've found quite a few good links, which are on another computer, wouldn't you know? I also got quite some first-hand reports on the experiences of one of my uncles, who lives in the mountains in the south of Spain. And now I found a book that could provide me with the knowledge of how to set things up, organise it properly, and turn the whole enterprise into a succesful endeavour. The book is Ecovillages: a practical guide to sustainable communities by Jan Martin Bang. It's not badly written but I taste some self-glorification in the writing. I haven't time yet to read the book completely but it sure has given me some insights and ideas. One is to take a closer look at the kibbutz system. Another is that there haven't been many attempts to build a sustainable community in a poor country in a cold and extreme climate, like Mongolia.

My main concern is that most, if not all, of the profiled sustainable communities depend on the use of wood; not just for building houses but also for heating and cooking! And while wood is much better as a replenishable source of energy, burning wood still pollutes the air tremendously (if you've ever been in UB in winter you know what I mean), while logging can have devestating consequences for the environment at large. Both these topics are of major concern in Mongolia right now, where UB is choking on the enormous air pollution, and where illegal or excessive logging and corruption have in places already led to deforestation on a large scale.

I'm seriously troubled by this. I hope I can find more sources on sustainable communites where the focus is away from using wood, especially for fuel. For now I can only hope....
Ecovillages: a practical guide to sustainable communities

In a Hanomag on veg oil to Mongolia...?

2005-08-30T19:58:00.000+02:00

Well, whaddayaknow! I just bumped into a website about one of the oddest but nicest challenges I've ever heard of! Ever thought of taking an old Hanomag truck, let it run on vegetable oil, and take it through Russia to Mongolia? Photographer Jeroen Nooter and graphic artist Sara Nuytemans are just doing that! On June 24 they left for their trip, which sofar took them through Germany and Poland, into Russia. The last update of the site is of August 22.

Their motivation for this huge undertaking? To make the world aware of the alternatives to petrol-powered vehicles, that vegetable oil is a viable alternative, and that we can be environmentally friendly while still driving our cars. A secondary motive is to create a greater awareness of Mongolia. In my book these motives make them heroes!

I hope they enjoy their trip, have a wonderful time and experiences, and make it to Mongolia in one piece. Jeroen and Sara, sain yavaarai!

Books, and photography, and Art

2005-08-29T13:44:00.000+02:00

Oh boy! I didn't know I had that many books next to the bed! Didn't I say before they numbered half a dozen? Well, it turns out there are a dozen and more of them! Not to mention the magazines. :)

Being an amateur photographer isn't always easy: for inspiration I need to look around hard, for experience I have to work hard, and for results I have to try hard. I think I'm blessed with at least a smattering of "The Eye" and I don't find it too difficult to see photo opportunities but it's hard to keep coming up with new and fresh ideas. I feel most comfortable with street photography, a bit of (urban) landscape photography and with shooting abstract themes.

Every now and then I need some new input from other sources. Obviously, other photographers are one such source. My favourite source is Rangefinderforum.com. I spend quite some time there, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the talk and chatter and discussion, and enjoy seeing other people's work and styles.

But it's not enough!

In the past few months I have turned an eye to Art. I have a weak spot for Impressionist painters, especially Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I simply love his work. It's vibrant, it's lively and simply wonderful but I'm not a portrait photographer so I find little I can use in Renoir's paintings that I can use in my photography.

I can't remember when I first saw the renoir.org.yu website; it must have been at least some 5 or 6 years ago. All I can remember is that it was, and still is, by far the nicest and best-organised website on Renoir I had ever run into. The creator, Milan Jaukovic, did an excellent job. This website deserves much more attention, as does the work of the great Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Anyway, when my eye fell on The Impressionist and the city: Pissaro's Series paintings by Richard Brettell and Joachim Pissarro, I just had to read it. It's a very interesting book, showing how the same (urban) scene was painted and interpreted in different ways by the same painter. This is something that a (urban) landscape photographer can work with!
The Impressionist and the city: Pissaro's Series paintings

I like abstract and Dada and Surrealism, and I was pleasantly surprised when I found the softcover edition of Magritte and photography by Rene Magritte and Patrick Roegiers. This book talks about Magritte's use of photography but also about Magritte himself. I had never read anything about Magritte, so the biographical parts contained lots of interesting information. And reading how this famous Surrealist used photography in creating his Art, and how his Art influenced his photography, is as interesting as it is inspirational.
Magritte and photography

Books, books, books

2005-08-28T22:17:00.000+02:00

I'm reading too many books lately. I think I have about half a dozen books next to the bed, some of them half read, others not even picked up.

The book I'm now reading is The Chinese Experience by Raymond Dawson. This is a really interesting book on Chinese culture. What drives the Chinese? How has history influenced Chinese culture through the centuries? It contains much details on the role of the emperor; the influence of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism; and a really fine section on family life. It's well-written and thoroughly enjoyable.
The Chinese Experience

A book that I just finished and enjoyed very much is the controversial The city of light by Jacob d'Ancona. The supposed translator, David Selbourne, states that the story is a translation of an original 13th century manuscript. Problem is that the manuscript has never been seen by scolars or researchers. Western academics have been highly critical of the book while Eastern and Chinese scholars have had much less reservations about it, and have even gone sofar as to place it in the same category as The travels of Marco Poloby Marco Polo.

Whatever the case may be (and Marco Polo's book is also highly contested!), I found it a fascinating read. It gives a wonderful personal and up-close view of Italy, the Middle East and the Far East in the 13th century. The philosophical debates in China are sometimes a bit long and tough but they convey very well not only the debates going on Chinese society but also the debates d'Ancona has with himself as a pious Jew. All in all, an amazing read, and an astonishing find if the manuscript is real.
The city of light
The travels of Marco Polo

Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye, Hell or Heaven?

2005-08-27T22:46:00.000+02:00

Two weeks ago I went to the annual open air photography market in Doesburg, Holland. It's always nice to go there: it's a nice little town, my 85 year old grandma lives there, and the photography market is an opportunity for me see some "new" gear and talk to some dealers and other photographers.

This year I was looking for an extreme wide angle lens to stick on the Epson R-D1. My recent experience with the Voigtländer 15/4.5 made me decide that a 15mm wide angle lens is just the kind of lens I'm looking for. So, when I ran into the Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye, I was sold.

I already had a M42-LTM adapter, which can easily be attached on the Epson R-D1 through an LTM-M adapter, which I also happen to have. :) The Zenitar is big, especially compared to my other lenses for the Epson R-D1. And its enormous DoF (Depth of Field) makes it, for me, quite a tricky lens to use. In the past two weeks I've been shooting with it and I'm rather disappointed with the results! I just don't seem to be able to get the focus right. I'll have to spend a weekend to really get to grips with the lens' behaviour before I'll be able to put it to good use.

As you can see from the shots below, my focussing is all over the place. Things are not helped by the facts that there's no rangefinder coupling and the Zenitar's immense range of DoF from 1.2m upwards. I'm glad, though, that my auxiliary Voigtländer 25mm viewfinder works well with the Zenitar. The Zenitar's FoV (Field of View) on the R-D1 is nearly the same as what I see through the 25mm viewfinder.

My dad.
Epson R-D1
Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye
shutter time & aperture unknown

Morris Minor.
Epson R-D1
Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye
shutter time & aperture unknown

Tree.
Epson R-D1
Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye
shutter time & aperture unknown

Nomin.
Epson R-D1
Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye
shutter time & aperture unknown

Stairwell.
Epson R-D1
Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye
shutter time & aperture unknown

Cashew chicken and rice recipe

2005-08-26T08:17:00.000+02:00

The other day I cooked a really nice meal for the three of us. All I had in the refrigerator was some chicken filet and vegetables, and we had rice in the cupboard. So, what to do? In the supermarket I got the idea to make some Thai-like meal and got a few more ingredients. Back at home, I started cutting and cooking, and about 45 minutes later we had a really nice dinner. I'm gonna share the recipe with you. Alter it as much as you want, and don't forget to experiment a bit. :)

Cashew chicken and rice.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

So, what do you need for my cashew, chicken and rice meal, good for 2-4 people? Of course, you'll need rice. We tend to cook a cup and a half of rice in 4 cups of water. Experience tells us that that is just the right amount for the three of us. Cook the rice as you would normally do. We prefer our rice a bit sticky; you decide on how you want it, OK?

Onwards! Cut 2 spring onions, 1 small (or 1/2 a big one) paprika, 1/2 a normal onion and 3 cloves of garlic into small pieces. They'll all go in at the same time so keep them seperate on a small plate or saucer.

Cut 150-300 grams of chicken filet in cubes. Use the lower amount if you mind how much meat you eat. Use the higher amount if you like a meal with plenty of chicken. Don't cut the filet too small, though. The meat will shrink a bit when it's cooking. Put the cut chicken in a small box (like you might use for the microwave or so).

Add salt, curry powder, chicken spice (I like to use Conimex Cashew Chicken kipkruidenmix), 2-4 spoons of spicy paprika sauce (my favourite is Baktat Scharfe Paprikasosse)and a sprinkling of Thai fish sauce (I got a small vial of Bart Spices Thai fish sauce) to the cut chicken, and mix it al very well. Make sure all the chicken is covered in a nice layer of spices and paprika sauce.

Heat up some oil in your stir-fry pan. Add about 25 grams of baking butter. Heat the oil and butter until it turns a nice, rich brown.

Put the spiced chicken in the pan and bake the chicken until it is done. I like to bake the chicken until it is a little burned, like you would get when you put it on the BBQ. Don't burn it too much, though! We want chicken, not cinders. :)

When the chicken is done, add the cut vegetables and some salt. Mix the vegetables and chicken very well.

Add some green beans (whachamacall sperciebonen in English? Got to look it up), some carrot and some green peas. Stir well.

Add some soy sauce. For us, I use Conimex Cashew Chicken sojasausmix. If you prefer to use real soy sauce then about 5 table spoons should be enough, though you can experiment with the amounts and flavours. I hear Shoyu is very nice. Also add about 500 ml of water to the mixture of chicken and vegetables. Mix it all very well.

Stir well and heat until the water boils. Leave it all boiling for 5-10 minutes. Don't forget to stir everything a little every few minutes.

Add a handful of cashew nuts (salted or non-salted, as you prefer).

Serve, after about 5 more minutes of cooking, with rice.

Cut some slices of cucumber and tomato and serve these with the rice and chicken.

Enjoy!

New house

2005-08-25T12:06:00.000+02:00

We're currently buying a house. The house we now live in is really too tiny for two adults and a child. The space hasn't been too much of a problem so far but our little girl is growing up and needs her own room. We need a room for ourselves as well, for privacy and so we won't get disturb too early in the morning in the weekends.
And we want a room we can use as an office.

I need more space for the work I have with my photography; the scanning, the computer work, the printing and the storing of the negatives. Sumiya needs a work place as well to do her computer work, her writing and her studying.

We found a really nice house for a good price, at least when you consider we still live in Amsterdam. The house is not as close to the inner city as where we now live but the tram stops right in front of the house and takes us in about 30 minutes into town.

Now we just have to wait for the mortgage to come through. A few more weeks and we'll now more.

Sail 2005 in Amsterdam

2005-08-18T17:57:00.000+02:00

Sail 2005 has arrived! Yesterday (Wednesday 17 August) the fleet arrived in the harbour of Amsterdam. The ships are now moared on their spots and from today everyone can visit them. There are tons of other things to do as well, from eating exotic foods to attending concerts to lounching on floating sand beaches, and much more.

Of course, the ships are the main attraction. And as I don't have time nor the inclination to spend the whole day among hundreds of thousands of other visitors, I decided to drop by early this morning. I arrived at 6am and found the quay sides open for public. That was better than I had anticipated. I'd figured the quay sides would be locked off at night to prevent possible terrorists to set up early. That such a threat is considered real is visible from the large number of police and private security guards. Also, the dutch naval ships are now visibly guarded, something that was not always the case. But no-one confronted me or prevented me from photographing. And at 6am there were very few people around, and even less photographers, so I had ample opportunity to shoot whatever I wanted.

Amerigo Vespucci.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Hr.Ms. De Ruyter.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Quay side with Hr.Ms De Ruyter and tall ships.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 25/4
shutter time & aperture unknown

Rigging of Tenacious.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Escutcheon of Prins Willim.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Quay side with Sørlandet and other tall ships.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Quay side with Tenacious, Prins Willim, Hr.Ms. De Ruyter and (other) tall ships.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 25/4
shutter time & aperture unknown

Stern of Prins Willim.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Europa.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Tugboats.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Escutcheon of Sørlandet.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Figurehead of Europa.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Rigging of Europa and Oosterschelde.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Kruzenshtern.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Harbour view.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Amerigo Vespucci.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Escutcheon of Amerigo Vespucci.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 38-76/4.5-5.6
shutter time & aperture unknown

Paul Treacy's "Woofers"

2005-08-16T23:58:00.000+02:00

Paul Treacy's "Woofers"

I'm not much into dogs but the preview of this book is wonderful. Very funny, indeed! The price is nice, too. This would make really joyful gift for a dog lover.

New R-D1 photos in my RFF gallery

2005-08-16T23:02:00.000+02:00

I finally had time to upload some work done with the R-D1 with a variety of lenses (Jupiter 8 50/2, M-Rokkor 40/2, CV25/4, Industar-50 50/3.5, Meyer Optik Lydith 30/3.5 with M42-L39 adapter) under a variety of circumstances (rainy, sunny, cloudy, dusk and dawn, at night).

Check them out here....

Enjoy.

RFF Benelux group - first meeting

2005-07-09T14:13:00.000+02:00

Here are some photos of the first outing of the Benelux Regional Club of Rangefinderforum.com, held in Amsterdam, Holland, on July 7 2005. There were three of us attending.

We decided to meet at Leidseplein at about 6 pm. Or was it 5 pm? Anyway, Onno and Rob had come together by train and were present right on time.

First, let's meet Onno....

Onno.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 15/4.5
shutter time & aperture unknown

The weather was a bit dull but still it was nice enough to sit outside and have a drink. Before long the table was loaded with lenses and cameras. I got to try out the CV 15mm. Very nice lens! I think I'll get one for my R-D1 sooner than later.

Onno.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 15/4.5
shutter time & aperture unknown

And, though he was sitting next to me, the 15mm was able to take in the whole 2 meters of Rob. :)

Rob.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 15/4.5
shutter time & aperture unknown

After a few hours of chatting and drinking (hmm, sounds like we got wasted, but we didn't. Really!), we went for a walk through old Amsterdam, ending up in a nice Chinese restaurant on Damstraat, where we had some lovely food, more to drink and chatted for a few more hours.

Rob.
Epson R-D1
Canon 50/1.4 (?)
shutter time & aperture unknown

Onno is a student at the University of Leiden, reading Chinese. Rob is an architect. Both of them are waaay more knowledgeable about photographic gear than I am. And both are into developing and printing their own B&W film. It's good fun to see them discuss the finesses of lenses and cameras.

Onno & Rob.
Epson R-D1
Voigtländer CV 15/4.5 (?)
shutter time & aperture unknown

By 10.30 pm we went on our way to the Central Station. We walked through nightly Amsterdam and chatted some more. Lots of gabbin' going on. :) Rob and Onno took the 11.10 to Haarlem and Leiden. By that time I had already caught nr 16 tram and was on my way home. By 11.30 pm for me a long, tiring but enjoyable day had come to an end.

Damstraat.
Epson R-D1
lens unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Bijenkorf window. Display for Moët & Chandon.
Epson R-D1
lens unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Stationsplein.
Epson R-D1
lens unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Boerenwetering, with view of Rijksmuseum.
Epson R-D1
lens unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Gerbrand Adriaensz. Bredero

2005-07-04T20:18:00.000+02:00

Gerbrand Adriaensz. Bredero
1585-1618

Born: 16 March 1585 in Amsterdam
Died: 23 August 1618 in Amsterdam

Sonnet

Vroegh in den dageraet, de schoone gaet ontbinden
Den Gouden blonden tros, Citroenich van coleur,
Gezeten inde Lucht, recht buyten d'achter deur,
Daer groene Wijngaert loof oyt louwen muer beminde.

Dan beven Amoureus de lieffelijckste Winden,
In 'tgheele zijdich hayr, en groeten met een geur
Haer Goddelijck aenschijn, op dat sy dese keur
Behielt, van dagelijcx haer daer te laten vinden.

Gheluckigh is de Kam, verguldt van Elpen been,
Die dese vlechten streelt, dit waerdich synd' alleen;
Gheluckiger het snoer, dat in haer dicke tuyten

Mijn Ziele mee verbint, en om 'thooft gaet besluyten,
Hoe wel ick 'tliever zie wilt golvich na syn jonst,
Het schoone van natuur passeert doch alle const.

Uit het Groot lied-boeck

One of my favourite poems. I learned it when I was in high school, probably second or third grade. I thought I had lost it; I've been searching for it for years. But now I found it again. I'm so happy. :)

Whenever I read this poem I feel the warmth of the sun, can imagine how the "I" is observing his love, can imagine how deeply he must be feeling for this woman. You could almost fall in love with this woman yourself. :)

Rangefinderforum.com - 28mm Book

2005-07-02T14:16:00.000+02:00

Rangefinderforum.com - 28mm Book

Another Rangefinderforum member getting published! The rangefinderforum book set something off in the minds of quite a few members. Seeing how easy it is to have your photos appear in book form must have been quite a revelation to many, not in the least for me. I'm still very busy creating the layouts and contents of my two upcoming books, and I'm not making much progress. Work and family are keeping me from spending much time on it. But I should make haste if I want to have them finished before the winter holiday season.

eBay item 7523775268

2005-06-20T17:44:00.000+02:00

eBay item 7523775268 (Ends Jun-24-05 07:46:13 PDT) - LEICA R-20 FILM CAMERA FOR AERIAL MAPPING APPLICATIONS

This is by far the most expensive photographic item I've ever seen for sale. Looks interesting though not very practical for everyday, private use.

And it's much easier to just drop by Google Earth, isn't it? :)

Image tank, 1. Laptops, 2. R-D1, 1!

2005-06-13T14:46:00.000+02:00

A few days after my last entry to this blog I finally did get my laptops! It took me a few hours to get all our software installed but while everything was installing I had time to drop by a nearby computer store to get a pair of Microsoft notebook mice and a Sitecom wireless router. Within a few minutes things were working properly and did I have a wireless internet connection. I can't be happier, except that Windows XP seems to have a bit of a problem with two wireless laptops connecting to the internet at once. The connections drop quite regularly, even though the laptops are just a couple of meters away from the router. I'll have to look into this matter one of these days.

We went to Belgium for a family reunion a couple of weeks ago and I was very disappointed that I hadn't received my R-D1 by that time. This last weekend we went to Antwerpen to visit one of Sumiya's nieces, who lives there. I had already decided that I would bring only one camera and a few films when I received notice that the R-D1 was waiting for me at the post office. So, Friday morning half past nine we went to the post office, paid the taxes due and walked out with one very big box containing my R-D1!

In the 10.23 train to Antwerpen I unpacked the box and found the camera in pristine order. I was really very happy though I got a nasty little surprise when I found out the camera takes SD cards, and not the CF card that I already have for the Eos 300D. I still had to take photos with the Leitz Minolta CL and film....

At Antwerpen-Berchem station we were welcomed by Chimkaa, who took us to the place where she lives. There we had booz and met some of her friends. Chimkaa seems to do quite well for herself, and we're very happy for that.

After the food Chimkaa and her friends went with us to the Ibis Hotel in the Meistraat, just around the corner from the Rubens Huis. On our way to the hotel we came past a Media Markt, and after registering at the hotel and settling ourselves we returned there to buy me a new Sandisk 1 GB SD card. We strolled around the city for some time and ended up at Groenplaats, the square in front of the cathedral. There we sat for some time, talking and drinking. By now it was already evening and clouds were gathering over the city. We all went our ways after Chimkaa and her friends had promised to drop by the hotel later in the evening.

We had hardly finished our dinner when they arrived. We sat in the hotel lobby, again talking and drinking. It wasn't until midnight when they left for home.

Deegii, Chimkaa and Sumiya.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Meir, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Schoenmarkt, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Rubens and cathedral, Groenplaats, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Cathedral, Groenplaats, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Chimkaa.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-9 85/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

MaNGo clothes shop, Schoenmarkt, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Wapper, Antwerpen.
Epson R-D1
Jupiter-8 50/2
film settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Image tank, 1. R-D1 and laptops, 0.

2005-05-31T12:21:00.000+02:00

So far I've only received my 80 GB Apacer Share Steno CD311. It seems to be a nifty little device. Too bad there's no card reader in the package but since I have a good one myself, it's not too much trouble. It backups my 1 GB CF card pretty fast; much faster, in fact, than I had expected. The interface is rather limited and the display is tiny but both are adequate. I'm just a little disappointed by the OK/L-R-U-D buttons, which seem to interfer with eachother a bit. I think I got quite a useful gadget for less than 200 euro.

My newly ordered Dell laptops should arrive by th end of this week. I do hope so. I already ordered the things Sunday last week. Dell couldn't verify my credit card so I had to call them on Monday and transfer the money by bank transfer. No problem, of course, but it took them 4-5 days to send me an order confirmation. Pretty slow, if you ask me.

The R-D1 is still with Customs. No idea when they'll release it and how much tax they'll slap on it. I don't care about the taxes; I just wish they'd make haste with these things. How difficult is it to calculate taxes due? I can do it in a couple of minutes through their own website (it's 19% over the total price).

Digital cameras, image tanks and laptops.

2005-05-25T09:48:00.000+02:00

I'm too excited! Yesterday Dr Joseph emailed me, telling the R-D1 has arrived in Holland and is currently in hands of Customs. I do hope sooooo much Customs sent the camera off yesterday so I'll receive it today. But that's if I'm veeery lucky. If I'm a little less lucky Customs will send off the camera today so I receive it tomorrow, which would be just in time for me to take it to Belgium this Friday.

Last week I also ordered an Apacer CD311 80 GB image tank. Of course I got an email telling they couldn't fulfill my order yet because of some delivery problems. The image tank, too, should arrive today or tomorrow. But I have doubts....

Then, beginning this week, I ordered two new laptops from Dell. :) I still haven't received a proper order number from Dell, so it'll probably take another week or two before I'll receive these.

2005, Year of the Micro Credit

2005-05-24T14:16:00.000+02:00

When I first heard of micro credit as a means of relieving poverty in the developing world about 10 years ago, I was amazed that anyone could have come up with such a simple and effective solution. It, of course, did not come from the vested financial institutions like banks or the IMF. That would destroy the financial stranglehold these institutions were holding (and still hold) over the less-privileged countries and peoples of this world. Instead it came from non-profit organisations, which were much more trustful of the financial capabilities and sense of responsibilites of even the poorest people. It turned out to be a golden formula: small loans with low interest rates, to be paid back in a year, that could be used to set up a small business, make small investments in agricultural supplies or shop stock, with which produce could be grown or that could be sold for profit; a profit with which the loan could be paid back and from which the whole family would have a small but significant increase in spendable income. Amzingly simple, and amazingly effective.

I'm happy that the UN declared 2005 the Year of the Micro Credit

At work (I work as an IT specialist for a large, Dutch bank in Holland) we are offered the opportunity to sign up to be send out as a micro finance expert. I signed up today, though it's not in the least certain I'm qualified or that I'm needed. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what comes of it.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

2005-05-21T21:09:00.000+02:00

I'm doing some scanning of negatives. I have a huge backlog. I'm now scanning negs I shot on the 11th day of the 10th month of... 2003! :) It seems that day I went to see the open air exhibition of Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I remember I thought it was a wonderful exhibition. I had never seen so much of his work together and at such a large print size. Really stunning photos. I remember seeing a documentary in which he took the viewer on a shoot from a helicopter. Very interesting documentary. If this exhibtion is still on display near where you live, go and see it! If you ever have the chance to see the documentary, see that too! :)

Yann Arthus-Bertrand exhibition (October 2003).
Voigtländer Bessa L
Voigtländer 25/4
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

New CDs

2005-05-18T15:41:00.000+02:00

I got myself some new CDs lately. I probably hadn't bought anything new in several years, except for Kylie's "Fever", which I still enjoy thoroughly. However, as my wife and child are now living with me, I couldn't show up with some extra hard or heavy music (and I wouldn't anyway; my choice of music has really changed over the past 10 years). Instead I came home with more R&B than I ever would expect.

My choices...? Well, first there is Kylie's "Ultimate Kylie", a double CD with the best songs of her long career. To be honoust, I prefer her latest work (which is on CD 2) while I can't listen to her older work (being on CD 1). It's too... euh... old, I guess. :)

Secondly, I got me Craig David's "Slicker than your average". Some time ago I heard a remix of his song "What's your flava?" and liked it so much I googled for it. After having found out the performer's name I went to the store and got the CD. I listened to his first CD as well but wasn't much impressed with it.

My third new purchase was Angie Stone's "Stone love". This is a wonderful CD. I love the soulful music she makes and I find it a pleasure to play the CD. In my opinion this is a CD for all moments, from early morning coffee to late night romantic dinner.

My last new CD is Kelis' "Tasty". It has a "Parental advisory: explicit lyrics" sticker on the box but I have been unable to find any explicitness, except for a single mentioning of the word "dick". Well, if that's gonna shock the world then we've slid down the drain quite deep. As for the CD, I like it very much. I'm particularly charmed by the song "Stick up" though the rest of the songs are not to be sneezed at either.

New CDs.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8
"film" settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Wigwam Jones

2005-05-18T15:24:00.000+02:00

Today I ran into Wigwam Jones's blog.

I know Bill from rangefinderforum.com. His writing is wonderful. I like the hardly controlled fire in his words. And his dogs are hilarious. His latest entry is also hilarious, both the way he wrote it as well as the slapstick spectacle he describes.

I hope you learned you're lesson this time, Bill! No nun chucks for you anymore!

Yevgeny Khaldey

2005-05-17T09:32:00.000+02:00

Last sunday afternoon I went to the Joods Historisch Museum here in Amsterdam to see the exhibition on Yevgeny Khaldey. A few years ago I had never heard of him. It was only after I got involved in (Russian) rangefinders that I noticed a book about him and his photographs. It's a shame this man never really was able to get the worldwide recognition he deserves. Arguably, his best work he shot during WW2. He shot from Murmansk to the Crimea and from Moscow to Berlin, recording the Russian war efforts, the devastation, the destruction and the loss of life but also the heroism and joy of life of the people, the soldiers and the survivors.

The photos are, of course, the main attraction of the exhibition but I was very pleased to see the accompanying documentary "Yevgeny Khaldey, photographer under Stalin". All in all, this is an exhibition that any rangefinder enthousiast should see.

After visiting the Yevgeny Khaldey exhibition I walked to the Oude Kerk to see the World Press Photo 2005 exhibition. On my way there I walked over the sunday market at the foot of the Waag. On this market, where nick-nacks, pot smoking paraphernalia, South-American sweaters and T-shirts are sold to tourists, I saw a few cameras for sale, though no rangefinders. Interestingly, there was a stall where they were selling glass plate negatives and magic lantern pictures. Magic lanterns seem to be known better than glass plate negatives. I overheard a young woman (25+ or so) talking on her mobile phone to her boyfriend or housemate saying that the magic lantern pictures looked great. "....They also have these small, glass plates with photos on them.... Weird!" She had picked one up to see what it was but put it down confused and didn't give it any more thought.

From the Waag it's only a short walk to the Oude Kerk. I never made it inside to see the exhibtion; it was too crowded! There was a queue outside the building and I had no interest in waiting until I could go in, probably to find a crowded exhibition room anyway. To be fair, the last two or three WPP exhibitions I saw weren't really that good. I find that many photos are rather mediocre; gripping but mediocre. Sometimes I'm wondering what the criteria are for awarding these awards....

Humble beauty

2005-05-13T22:23:00.000+02:00

No matter how fond I am of my Bessa cameras, my CL or my M2 there is one camera that has a class and distinction that is hard to beat. Which camera it is...? Well, the humble FED-2. Take a look at it and tell me it's not a beauty. :)

FED-2.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8
"film" settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Pass the camera

2005-05-13T21:01:00.000+02:00

Over on rangefinderforum.com we've started a Pass-the-camera project. The project involves sending a rangefinder camera, in this case a Canonet QL17 GIII, to a participating member. The member shoots a roll or two, selects the shots he or she likes and posts these on rangefinderforum.com. Next, the member sends the camera off to the next participating member.

It was my pleasure to receive the camera in person from the man who made the project possible by providing the camera and setting up the list of members and designing the route the camera will take through the world over the next year. Pherdinand came to Amsterdam with his GF, and we met over coffee.

After a very pleasant meeting we said goodbye and went our own ways. My way lead me into town to get the hang of the camera. I had never used a Canonet before and I had quite a bit of trouble getting used to it. In the end I found it's not the camera for me but I got a few nice shots, which I've put up as my entries.

Now, will there a book after the project has finished...?

Birds.
Canonet QL 17 GIII
lens unknown
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

Vaudeville.
Canonet QL17 GIII
lens unknown
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

Footprints.
Canonet QL17 GIII
lens unknown
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

Next train will be leaving from platform 1....
Canonet QL17 GIII
Lens unknown
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

Books and photos, photos and books

2005-05-06T15:18:00.000+02:00

The Rangefinderforum book finally came to life last March, and a fine book it has become. I'm really very proud of this book, and even prouder that the first two photos in the book are mine. :) The book is for sale at RFF Forum's shop at Lulu.com. Of course, I recommend this book. It is a marvelous book that saw the light of day through a rather special project among rather special people, the members of the wonderful Rangefinderforum.

Rangefinder Photography: 25 Photographers -- One Passion

Ten of my photos of Mongolia have also been published in the Mongolian literary and cultural magazine GUNU, of which I'm of course also very proud.

Gunu magazine - ISBN 99929-73-67-6

I enjoyed a bit of luck with this publication; my brother-in-law, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav, is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine. He is an outstanding poet and works actively to promote Mongolian poetry, literature and other cultural expressions in Mongolia itself and abroad. The magazine is published in support of the 26th World Congress of Poets that will be held in Mongolia in 2006. Coincedently is 2006 also a commerative year: 800 years of Mongolian Empire and the 860th birthday of the man of the Millenium, Chinggis Khaan.

If you feel like coming to Mongolia in 2006, drop me a line and I'll see what I can arrange for you.

I'm busy creating a book or two of my own. The first book, which is nearing completion, contains photos of my family-in-law. The photos were taken during the Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian Buddhist New Year) celebrations last February. The two weeks I spent there were also the last weeks for Sumiya and Nomin in Mongolia. The only proper way I could think of to thank her family for the "wedding" and departure gifts they so generously lavished upon us, and all the good care and friendship they've shown me, is this book I'm putting together. It should be ready before coming summer.

A future book will contain my view on the lifes and times of the people living in the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar. These districts are the sprawling suburbs of Ulaanbaatar and are rapidly changing. The photos in this book are the first selection of an ongoing photo project to record the ger districts for posterity.

Both of these books will become available through RML's Bookshop at Lulu.com.

B-day

2005-05-06T14:50:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was my birthday... 35 years old I became.

What can I say. I'm not sad, I'm not happy. Actually, I don't feel much about it.

My nephew, Timo, also celebrates his B-day on May 5, so we went over to my sister's in Lelystad. B-day parties are usually only a little fun, especially when the B-day boy is only 4 years old and couldn't care less whether his uncle is B-day'ing as well. :)

Nomin was enjoying herself, playing in the garden with the other children. But Sumiya and I went out for a walk to the Noordersluis as we had nothing to do but sit and drink. We took a nice, long walk together along the waterfront. Sumiya saw, for the first time, how a sluis works and was amazed by the thought that the Dutch really created Holland from water and mud, and that we were walking where less than 75 years ago fishermen were sailing there fishing boats.

One day I'll have to take her to the province of Zeeland, so she can see the stormvloedkering and other Deltaworks that were erected there in response to the disasterous flood of 1953. And I'll have to show here the history of the province of Flevoland and the birth of the IJsselmeer.

Check out www.deltawerken.com for more information on the Deltaworks of Holland, or go to dronten.flevoland.to/geschiedenis for a history of Flevoland and the IJsselmeer. The Golden Age, windmills and tulips are important subjects from our nation's long and eventful history but if you want to get to grips with what makes Holland in the 21st century, you'll have to find out about out struggle with the water over the past 100 years.

R-D1, and some other cameras.

2005-05-06T11:38:00.000+02:00

I've ordered an R-D1!

Instead of paying 3000 euro here in amsterdam I'll be paying less than 2200 euro, which includes shipping from Hong Kong, two extra batteries and a health check of the camera before it gets send. Dr Joseph Yao has been regarded a most excellent dealer and I'm confident I'll get a camera to be proud of.

Payment to HK is a bit of a trouble, though. I have to transfer the money from bank to bank, which shouldn't be that much trouble considering that these payments go via SWIFT but my one bank takes 4(!) working days to print a transfer slip. So, I've transferred the money from one bank account to another and tonight I'll make the payment. But then it still takes 8(!) days for the money to arrive into Dr Yao's account.

I hope I'll receive the R-D1 before the family reunion in Belgium at the end of May....

April 30 is Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) in Holland. Amsterdam is overrun by visitors, who all come to see the free market that's set up in large parts of the city centre and Amsterdam Zuid. This was the first time Sumiya and Nomin were able to experience this festival and both enjoyed it very much. We bought a dozen or so books for Nomin, so she can practise reading Dutch. Then there was a giant (OK, 50cm tall) Eeyorethat just had to come home with us, and for 5 euro it was too good to leave behind. We got a few other bits and pieces but my nicest (for me, that is) was the Canonet 28 that I found for just 3 euro. The light seals are shot and the electronics are not working but replacements for the seals are already under way from Jon Goodman, over on Rangefinderforum and the battery might be the cause of the electronics failure. I'll just have to find a new battery and follow some of the good advice I got on Rangefinderforum about the Canonet 28. Some day the camera will work again....

Finally another update...!

2005-05-06T11:23:00.000+02:00

I've been pretty busy lately, so I didn't have much time to attend to the blog. But the things that kept me busy are worth every second and I'm not complaining. I've had plenty of photo opportunities in the past months, and quite some of the shots have been taken with the 300D. Yeah, I know I said it's a monster, and I still feel that way, but it's not a bad camera at all. It's just a bit big and the controls too fiddly for my taste.

In the meantime I've also come to like my M2, another change of mind. Before, I liked the camera's handling but couldn't get over the lack of a light meter. And handling a handheld light meter at -25 degrees Celsius isn't really my idea of a good time. So I took the camera to Mongolia but left it at home most of the time, prefering to take the Bessa R, the CL or the 300D.

What changed my mind is that I found out I already a Leica MC light meter lying about! It used to be my dad's, who had given it to me a while back because I needed a small light meter for my FEDs and Zorkis. I never used it much, and after I had given up using the Russians I forgot about the MC. Now that I've found it again and stuck it on the M2, I'm enjoying this camera more and more. And... the Japanesque Gold cover (bought from Aki-Asahi) draws some attention. It's "in" to be bling, it seems (what do I know about modern youth culture), and the M2 must be bling enough. :)

I've (semi-) permanently stuck the Jupiter 12 on the M2 and it's been working a treat! The wide 35mm view is a bit more than I'm used to with the wonderful Jupiter 8 for a "normal" lens. However, my experiences with the Voigtlander 25/4, which I don't use as my regular "normal" lens though I often use it on the CL for hip shots or in the confines of the Mongolian gers, have prepared me for a wide FoV and given me plenty of practise to use this wide FoV appropriately and effectively.

Damn 300D! Damn R-D1!

2005-01-30T19:23:00.000+01:00

Why-oh-why is it that I'm starting to like the results from my Eos 300D while it just can't get over the bulkiness and unintuitive handling of the thing? I wish I had a digital rangefinder! But the only digital RF available today is the 3000+ euro Epson R-D1, and I just ain't got 3000+ euro for just 1 camera.

I love the ease of use of digital media, the fact I don't have to scan any negatives, and don't have to wait for the developed negatives to return. But the 300D is a devil to handle. Why do I have to push a button AND turn a wheel to change a setting? This should be done much more easily, like on a rangefinder. I'm almost tempted to bring along my handheld light meter and to use those settings in the Eos M-mode. Too bad that won't solve the pre-focussing problem; I want to be able to focus by myself AND be able to see on the lens what distance I set. This is just not possible on the EF lenses.

I will have to start saving for an R-D1, and sell off some of my other cameras. The Noblex should bring in some money but I'm not yet ready mentally to sell that one. The rest won't bring in enough; only some tens of dollars each for the FEDs and Zorkis. I will have to be reeeeeally nice to Sumiya for the next few years. :P

Harbour of Amsterdam.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
media settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Masts.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
media settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Harbour view.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
media settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Kylie

2005-01-29T17:03:00.000+01:00

I bought the cd Fever by Kylie in India last year. I really like this cd, even if the lyrics are not very deep. The whole cd just makes me feel happy and makes me wanna go out and dance with Sumiya. In a few weeks time I'll finally be able to take her out whenever I want. :)

Kylie - Fever.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
iso100, Large Fine JPG
1/125 sec, f5.6, flash, WTB (flash)

New year already!

2005-01-22T13:01:00.000+01:00

It's almost Februari 2005 already! Time sure flies.

1 January 2005. Neighbourhood children.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
"film"settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

December was a good month.

We got notice that Sumiya and Nomin's visa applications were approved, and that she could pick them up in Beijing. She went there in January and now I am ready to go to UB again. It'll be a special visit. Not only will we finally celebrate Nomin's birthday together but also Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian New Year), and we'll come back to Holland together! I'm looking forward to see them again so much....

Friday before Christmas I got my new Canon Eos 300D (or Digital Rebel in the US). Damn, it's big! Well, it feels big and clumsy compared to any of my rangefinders. I'm very pleased with being able to capture my shots on a digital medium; it saves so much money on film and development, and so much time on scanning. But I'm really not happy with how the camera operates; no way I can make quick adjustments to f-stop, shutter speed or anything without having to do finger acrobatics: pushing a button here with one finger while turning a wheel there with another and chimping over the display just to see if I got the setting I want. This is one camera that won't see much street action, I fear, but it'll probably be the main camera when it comes to shooting assignments or projects, especially if it's impossible or impractical to do the shoot over.

Lately I've been shooting more and more with my Leica M2. I'm getting a bit more used to using a handheld meter. It'll never be my preferred way of metering (give me an internal meter any day), especially not in cold or wet weather, but at least I'm no longer opposing using the damn thing.

New Year's eve.
Canon Eos 300D
Canon EF 50/1.8 II
"film"settings unknown
shutter time & aperture unknown

Rangefinderforum.com

2004-12-05T23:38:00.000+01:00

My favourite website is Rangefinderforum, or RFF. It's a forum dedicated to rangefinder cameras of all ages and brands, and its members are a really gentle and kind bunch of people. None of the backstabbing or bloated egos you can find on some other forums.

Anyway, I've uploaded some of the photos I took in Mongolia and China during my stay there. The gallery can be found here: My October/November 2004 Mongolia gallery on RFF

Everyone is invited to take a look, No need to leave a comment; I'm already pleased if you enjoy my photos. Sort them by image name and you can follow the story; I gave explanations with every photo.

OK. It's late now and I'm having a headache. I'm off to bed....

Page layout and how to insert a picture. (HTML code)

2004-12-05T20:43:00.000+01:00

Here's how I want my blog entries to be laid out. Maybe not so clean coding but it works, and that's what I want. :)

Admittance auditions for 6-year olds at the Dance and Music College.
Voigtländer Bessa R
Jupiter-8 50/2
Hema iso400
shutter time & aperture unknown

Saturday night movie night

2004-12-04T21:26:00.000+01:00

I just watched the movie "Pluto Nash". Not really a terrific movie; entertaining for an hour and a half but hardly worth remembering. However, the song "It's alright" by Lina is great! I never heard it before but I like it, and I'm sure Sumiya will enjoy it as well. I've got to find a way to get this song cheaply. Maybe it's time to dive into the ocean of online music stores....

Which movie shall I watch now? I think it's gonna be "Moulin Rouge".

Now what?

2004-12-04T11:15:00.000+01:00

So now I am a blogger too? Let's see what comes of it.

I intend to use this blog to record my travels, sometimes some thoughts and experiences, perhaps a few tips on photography, and to post a few photos.

Why? Because on my travels I keep some sort of diary, which I always try to transcribe into Word. I never succeed. After all, what use is an e-version of anything if no-one will ever read it anyway? But maybe if it gets published as a blog someone might find it amusing.

That's it. Time for some entries....