alboe's blog

Ik zat ergens waar ik niet behoor.
Waar 't me beviel, maar ik niet behoor.
Waar het leven zijn gangetje gaat of ik er wel of niet ben.
Er zijn veel mensen.
Ik hoor en zie ze wel, maar ken ze niet.
Ze zien me wel, maar horen en kennen me niet.
Zien ze me niet meer, zijn ze me vergeten,
omdat ik geen pinke kleren daag of ze verrot scheld,
omdat ik niet langsloop op mijn handen, maar alleen maar naar 't zonnetje lach.
In je eentje onder velen
af en toe wel fijn
wil ik dan toch liever
niet meteen vergeten zijn.

After staying in the 3rd world (Zambia) for more than half a year it didn't only become clear how unfair resources are divided, shared, etc - I experienced it day after day. But this short post is not about my personal single experience, about how naive I was and still am. It's about how naive all of us have been made(!).

Please take 20 minutes of your treasures time and watch this exceptional revealing movie:
www.storyofstuff.com - The story of stuff

For those who'd like to go through the content in their native language, please find the translated scripts: www.storyofstuff.com/international/scripts.html

The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Thursday evening, broadcast the late President Levy Mwanawasa’s farewell message to the nation.
The message broadcast on both radio and television was recorded on March 23rd, 2005. It read as follows:
“It is my wish that this Will is broadcast both on television and radio. I now want to address the [...]

To all those who check my blog from time to time: Until the end of January 2009 me, myself and my ugly face are to be found in Zambia. Since internet connection not yet is an everyday facility over here I won' t be to active concerning reactions etc.

Please refer to http://twikatane-ict.nl for progress on our project, some (unfortunately thumbnail-sized) pictures and some nonsense here and there...

Greetings from Luanshya,

alboe

Source: www.infoworld.com/news/feeds/08/06/06/Zambia-invites-private-sector-for-ICTs.html?source=gs

"The Zambian government has invited the private sector, including ISPs (Internet service providers), civil societies and mobile telecommunication companies, to help the government provide ICT services in rural areas.

By Michael Malakata ,
June 06, 2008

The Zambian government has invited the private sector, including ISPs (Internet service providers), civil societies and mobile telecommunication companies, to help the government provide ICT services in rural areas.

The Zambian government has realized that people in rural areas have no access to ICT services including mobile phones and Internet services, hindering them from participation in the country's development process, said Minister of Communication and Technology Dora Siliya.

"The extension of ICT facilities including mobile and Internet services in rural areas is key in improving the livelihoods of people and breaks the barrier that hinders them from participating in the national development process," she said in an interview.

However, the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Communications and IT Manager Kunda Mwila said the Zambia government should first devise incentives to encourage cost-effectives ICTs in rural areas. For instance, in line with universal access to ICTs, the Zambian government through the Communications Authority of Zambia must reduce or scrap the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Technology) license fees charged to users in rural areas.

The Communications Authority of Zambia is a body appointed by the Zambia government to regulate the use of ICT in the country while ZNFU is a union that provides market information to its through the internet.

The Communications Authority of Zambia has set aside more than US$1 million under the rural ICTs development funds that will be given to any mobile and ISP willing to expand services to rural areas. The authority has, however, not given out any money, saying it is still working out a policy for how to distribute funds.

This is the first time that the Zambian government has invited ISPs to help provide ICTs in rural areas. The invitation came after mobile service provider Celtel Zambia accused the government of refusing to give the company tax incentives in order to expand service to rural areas.

Many service providers say the cost is too high for them to expand to rural areas."

Source: www.infoworld.com/news/feeds/08/06/06/Zambia-invites-private-sector-for-ICTs.html?source=gs

THIS BLOG IS NOT YET COMPLETE. I already published it anyway, because of all the nosy people! ;)

Last weekend Paul, his brother Henk and I went to Berlin (slideshow) by car. (From Friday to Monday)

On our way back (which took about 8 hours) I was thinking about what I should write about Berlin (slideshow). It kept impressing me from the first second to the last one and it's so much I experienced those few days. So let me just try to tell about things chronologically:

Friday:

• left Kerkrade at about 12:30h
• arrived at about 20:00h at Hotel & City Camping Berlin (Spandau)
• setting up tents
  

  settling down

• have a drink at bar (stamkroeg ;))
• first Döner (declared to be Danish by drunken man)
• nearly drowned in rain and collapsing tent

Saturday:

• went to Unter den Linden
• breakfast at subways
  

  first breakfast

• fooling around at Brandenburger Tor
  

  X in front of Brandenburger To…

• free tour with tour guide Rachel
  
  

  Rachel

  
  Rachel probably read/heard this quite a couple of times, but it's true non the less:
  Right from the beginning - when she introduced herself as dancer and once more declared her love for Berlin - her eyes were sparkling. Combined with her everlasting smile and happiness, she proved her love time and again when she provided us with details of the history of Berlin.
  
  Those are the places she showed to us and told us about:
  - Pariser Platz
  - Brandenburger Tor
  - Checkpoint Charlie
  - Schlotzky's Deli
  

  Schlotzky's Deli

  
  - Gendarmen Markt
  

  Gendarmenmarkt

  
  - Denkmal für die Bücherverbrennung
  

  Heinrich Heine on burning book…

  
  - Neue Wache
  

  Neue Wache

  
  - Berliner Dom
  

  Berliner Dom

  
  - Lustgarten
  [I'm sorry for the list being incomplete, but I've to ask Henk for it...]
  
  So thank you, Rachel for letting us see Berlin through your eyes. It has been impressive, funny, alive, interesting and emotional moving. :)
  If you'd like to stay in touch check the contact section at about-alboe.de.
• XYZ quarter
• Kreuzberg Libyan restaurant (after searching around)
  

  libyan food

• Climbing the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz
  

  berlin traffic

Sunday:

• Breakfast at Tiergarten
• Siegessäule
• Jewish Museum
  
  Even the jacket of the museum is impressive. It looks like a piece of metal which has deep scratches (which are the windows). Inside it's somehow like a labyrinth, which is because the architect used three crossing axes spread through 3 floors.
  The exhibition is supported by lots of new media, which makes everything very interactive and keeps you interested and busy all the time.
  Unfortunately we arrived only 1,5 hours before closing time, while needing about a whole day to go through everything. So next time in Berlin I'll go there again.
  
  More information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum_Berlin
• Grauburgunder & Saumagen at German kitchen restaurant
  

  Grauburgunder atmosphere

Monday:

• packing tents in the rain
• Edeka for breakfast
• Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer
• Potsdam "Holländisches Viertel"
  

  Holländisches Viertel Potsdam

• Arrived in Kerkrade at 23:30h

Concluding Berlin to me is:

• pregnant with history: everything, really everything has it's very own history. Since there happened so much in Berlin history is omnipresent: In the peoples minds, in the words of tourguides, on the signboards, in the buildings, in stones within the street (showing the course of the former wall), in the monuments, in the atmosphere, the names of streets, the rooftops of buildings...even in the absence of things (e.g. no buildings on the course where once has been the wall, so-called voids in the Jewish museum)...
• crossing of times: with all the history on one side, there are futuristic, gleaming new buildings on the other side (e.g. sony center); history sometimes is told with use of the newest interactive media (e.g. Jewish museum)
• a place of contrasts: a world-metropolis as busy and hectic as it can be with in the very centre a huuuuge park that lets you forget about everything with its beauty and quietness
• a city I'd like to live in for some time

Thanks

Finally I'd like to thank Paul for his passionate and detailed preparation of the whole trip, Henk for providing us with a car (thus making the trip possible) and both of them for their pleasant company and for getting along with my irritating nature. ;)

Furthermore I'd like to thank Cees Nooteboom, the authors of the Lonely Planet Berlin and Rachel for providing information about Berlin that make Berlin the most interesting city I've seen so far to me.

"It's when people say..."

Deze halve zin hangt er al ruime tijd in mijn gedachten. Ik kom er nog vanaf, nog maak ik hem af. Ik bedoel...als die schijnbaar zin-loze halve zin toch in mijn hoofd blijft haken...misschien is ie juist helemaal niet zinloos?! Misschien is ie juist heel belangrijk. Misschien ook maar net zo belangrijk dat hij me dit doet schrijven. Hoe dan ook. Ik kan de zin niet afmaken, er geen punt achter zetten. Hij blijft maar half. Natuurlijk heb ik al tig mogelijke tweede helften bedacht, maar ze passen gewoon niet.

Het lijkt ook wel een beetje op dat 42-verhaal. Het antwoord is bekend, alleen de vraag niet. In dit geval zou het dan 21 moeten zijn, want er is immers maar de helft van het antwoord bekend.
En daar sta ik weer. Een halve - misschien wel, misschien niet belangrijke - antwoord op een vraag die ik geen eens ken.

Misschien helpt vertalen wel? "Dat is wanneer mensen zeggen...", "Das ist, wenn Leute sagen..."... Hhm. Helpt nog niet echt.

Dan maar kijken naar de zin van de zin. De zin wil me dus iets verklaren wat zo maar bepaald kan worden door het gros der mensen. En hetgeen wat verklaard zou moeten worden, lijkt ook wel een werkwoord te zijn, want anders is de zin niet zo zinnig. Alhoewel...nee, het laatste is niet waar. Er hoeft niet perse een werkwoord te worden beschreven. Hoe weet ik dat nou ineens? Er verscheen in eens een gloeilamp boven mijn hoofd en die zei: "Herinner je nog? Je hebt allemaal van die dingen waar 'Liebe ist, wenn...' opgedrukt is. T-Shirt, kussens, knuffels en weet ik wat allemaal. Google dat anders eens!"
Je weet net zo goed als ik, dat als er een gloeilamp boven je hoofd verschijnt (en die dan ook nog iets te vertellen heeft), dat je maar beter kunt luisteren en doen wat ze vraagt!
Google verteld me vervolgens over die "Liebe ist, wenn..."-dingen maar ook over Hannibal Smith van het nagesynchroniseerde A-Team: "Ich liebe es wenn ein Plan funktioniert!" ("I love it when a plan comes together!") Het laatste is in ieder geval wel grappig. Los van een van de meest onzinnige tv-serie, is de uitspraak ook wel goed, want het is wel fijn als dingen uitpakken als geplant, toch? Maargoed, het is ook weer niet noodzakelijk oftewel het is niet verkeerd als dingen eens anders aflopen. Leer je tenminste nog een beetje buiten je grenzen te kijken...

Maar ff weer terug naar "Liebe ist, wenn...". Dat zijn dus eigenlijk commerciële goederen die vooral met dagen als Valentijnsdag aan koppeltjes verkocht worden. Verliefde mensjes die elkaar willen zeggen "Liebe ist, wenn man den anderen akzeptiert wie er ist." of "Liefde is, als je keihard terug-ruft als de andere een windje laat."
Gaat die halve zin dan over liefde? Het zou op zich wel passen, want liefde blijft ook maar in me gedachten ronddraaien, liefde schijnt vaak zinloos te zijn, liefde is ook wel eens maar half - maar van een kant en is dus gedoemt in te drogen, liefde kent geen taalbarrières - de zin zit in het Engels in mijn schedel, maar hij zou Duits moeten zijn)...
Ik denk dat dit voor nu een goede antwoord is! De zin hoeft namelijk maar half te zijn. Liefde is namelijk te complex om in maar een zin te passen. Dus staat maar de eerste helft vast en kan je door heel je leven heen verzamelen, hoe de zin allemaal kan eindigen.

Dus dan is het op dit moment: Liefde is, wanneer er liefde is. Je kan wel heel gericht op zoek gaan en jezelf ook inpraten dat er sprake is van liefde, maar het werkt uiteindelijk toch niet. Liefde is er pas wanneer zij (de liefde) het wilt.

In die zin: Afwachten en verder dromen!

As a matter of fact the optimist is quite optimistic. Nearly always he sees the good part of things. A thunderstorm e.g. is fantastic and interesting rather than irritating or frightening. Getting wet to the core because of bad timing of a bycicle tour (through the rain), makes him laugh rather than shouting curses to the wheathergod. The solution of friends problems is just a matter of different approach and really difficult ones just need some talk to friends, a handful of good will and time to disappear. Own problems get the same treatment, but anyway are so nihilistic compared to problems of others. So why complain? He's had a wonderful live so far and opportunities others have not. Besides the wonderful sun is rising everyday, spending warmth, energy and the most amazing light mankind knows.

And what causes an optimist to get rather unoptimistic? When does the whole live and everything just don't make sense any more? When does even the sun not help any more? It's a thing said to be the most wonderful thing in the world. A thing where no rules or regularities are applicable. (Which is fine.)

The agony of when things related to "the most wonderful thing in the world" go wrong, wash just away future plans, great ideas, enthusiasm, all the optimism...quite everything besides staring...

...for some time.

Etrice is going to Prague within a short wile. Do you know some nice spots over there? Some must-see's? Than click Vacation & Inspiration and tell him! He'd really apreciate that! :D

I'm sick. Have been laying in bed all day. Headache, dizziness, a nose that wants to run away... Can't read, can't eat, can't listen to music, can't use the computer (for longer than writing a post ;))...

So you see: I'm soooo poor and need your support! ^^

P.S.: My brother had more or less the same and he was laying in bed for three days. It's just strange that I haven't met him for about a week. So he's not the one who infected me. :s

Der kleine Schneemann
(eine Weihnachtsgeschichte von Lormet Ogelall)

Vorwort
Zunächst einmal soll erwähnt werden, dass es keineswegs einen kleinen Schneemann gibt und diese Geschichte somit auch nicht von ihm handeln kann. Das ist eigentlich auch unwichtig, denkt man an das bekannte Sprichwort „Wer nicht hat was die anderen, der Berg und auch zwei Stullen Quarkauflauf nicht absondern, der sollte auch mit dem Fiebermessgerät nicht zu tief in die bereits vergangene Weltgeschichte eingreifen.“

Nu' geht's los
Es begab sich also schon ca. 12 Monate vor Weihnachten, dass man sich mit großen Schritten der Weihnachtszeit näherte. Die kleine Steffanie hatte die ganze Nacht lang wach gelegen, weil sie sich über diesen hirnverbrannten Unsinn den Kopf zerbrochen hatte. Am morgen schnappte sie sich sogleich Tesafilm, einen Tacker und – nachdem sie bemerkt hatte, dass der Tacker keine Klammern mehr innehatte – eine Schachtel Streichhölzer. Mit ihrem fünf Meter langen Weihnachtsschwert schnitze sie aus den Streichhölzern und der Schachtel selbst viereinhalb Pseudo-Tackerklammern. Die neu gewonnenen Klammern noch schnell mit dem Tesafilm eingeölt und sterilisiert, flickte sie sich schließlich ihren zerbrochenen Kopf. Mit den Pizzaresten die schon mehrere Wochen lang unter ihrem Bett lagerten, verdeckte sie die überstehenden Klammerfilmreste.
Beim Anziehen gab es auch nur gerinfügige Probleme, da sie sich die Klamotten an einer zur Rasiermesserklinge gewucherten Salami zeriss und ihr das ein oder andere Organ aus dem Gesicht fiel. Sie hatte aber Glück im Unglück, denn das Tesaöl war noch nicht ganz getrocknet. So konnte sie Nase und Unterkiefer schnell wieder ankleben.

Fröhlich hüpfend und völlig zerfledert hüpfte sie die Treppe hinunter und begrüßte ihre ach so lieben Eltern. Als diese sie fragten, was sie denn diese Nacht geträumt hätte, erzählte sie nur, dass es keineswegs einen kleinen Schneemann gäbe und ihr Traum somit auch nicht von ihm handeln könnte. Sie wollte ihren Eltern ersparen, dass sie sich über die Sache mit den 12 Montaten auch den Kopf zerbrechen.
Die Mutter war schon dabei Geschenke einzupacken und der Vater wollte sich gerade aufmachen um die letzten Weihnachtseinkäufe zu besorgen. Also entschloss Steffanie sich etwas draußen im Schnee spielen zu gehen.
In einen Schneeanzug, eine Pudelmütze und ein paar dicke Fäustlinge eingepackt, musste sie sich draußen wieder daran erinnern, dass es in dieser Gegend niemals kälter als 15° C wird. Sie ließ sich aber nicht beirren und lief bei den derzeitigen 25° C ein wenig den Strand entlang.
Nach einer Zeit setzte sie sich in den Sand und starrte in die Sonne bis ihre Netzhaut zu 200 % verbrannt war. Da eine solche Netzhautverbrennung im Bereich des teilweise Unmöglichen pendelt, trug sie keinerlei Schäden davon.
Mit der Pfütze ihres eigenen Schweißes, die sich mittlerweile unter ihr gebildet hatte und dem Sand drumherum, begann sie einen Sandmann zu bauen. Sie rollte drei verschieden große Sandkugeln zusammen und pflückte im Anschluss ein paar Krebse und Sardellen, um die schon langsam wieder dahinbröckelnden Kugeln zu befestigen.
Endlich fertig trat sie ein paar Schritte zurück, um sich ihr Werk zu betrachten. Da fing der Sandmann plötzlich an sich zu bewegen. Ja, er hüpfte auf sie zu bis er schließlich direkt vor ihr stand und vor Anstrengung schnaubte. Steffanie riss vor Angst die Augen weit auf. Diese Chance nutze er sogleich und rülpste und spie ihr mindestens 14 Tonnen Sand ins Auge, sodass sie direkt einschlief.

Am morgen wachte Steffanie mit geschwollenen Augenliedern auf und...
...wenn sie nicht geschlafen hat, dann hat sie es halt nicht.

Some time ago flickr was eaten by yahoo and (among other things) all users "were allowed to create" yahoo accounts in order to log in. I just read (here! [dutch]) that Microsoft plans to eat YAHOO. If that happens you can imagine what the consequences for flickr's services will be.

For now I joined the protest-group, but as soon as Microsoft indeed buys yahoo I will quit my account for sure. It's not that I did very much with my flickr account, but if it's infected I don't even want it to exist for a handfull of pictures.

Here at ipernity I feel much more home and I hope that in future we are NOT confronted with any take-over of ipernity by any big bad brother company...

She...

...should be unknown to me.

...I probably know better than many other.

...makes me happy by talking to me.

...sometimes makes me lonely if she does not.

...is soooooooo far away.

...however always is with me.

...can hear my thoughts.

...has a charming smile.

...has eyes as blue as the sea.

...is like the sea.

...is the one I'd like to give my heart.

...is the one whose heart I'd like to carry.

...is the one I have in mind, when I see someone else.

...makes me dreaming of her.

...makes me want to dream of her.

...makes me grow stronger by holding my hand.

...makes me smile on a rainy day.

...could be my best friend.

...could be more than that.

...could be the one I have been waiting for.

...is the one I was waiting for.

...is the one I'm waiting for.

...will be there for real already soon.

...is the one I can't stop thinking of, talking of, talking to, writing to, waiting for, flirting with, smiling from, learning from, being curious about, writing about...

I settled down here just about 4 month ago. It took me just a week or two until I felt a bit like home. How come? It's just as one can read everywhere if people are writing about the ipernity community: They are kind and friendly people that make a virtual - a non-existing place feel like home just by being open and welcoming.

So let me thank all of the nearly 2000 visitors (1935 right now) for being so kind! I'm happy to share moments I've captured, because they did something to me. And I'm even more happy that some of them also do something to you! :)

 Two days ago I uploaded some shots into the album hangmatten 2008 and I thought it to be nice to add an explanation.... So here we are :P

pirates sleeping

Last year a friend of mine said to us that we haven't hung out for quite some time. It didn't take him long to come up with a some kind of literally idea to change that. Since the Dutch and German words for hammock (hangmat, Hängematte) contain the word hang, a new activity was born: (winter)hangmatten (like (winter)hammocking or (winter)hanging-around)

So like last year in January we came to his parents place (Deurne) to sleep outside in our Hammocks. (Must have been something about 4˚C)

Of course it's not only about the hammocks, but also about campfire, guitar music, cooking world's best and most nutrient soup and baking pancakes on an "real" oven.

Even if the wordplay (hammock - hangmat) isn't that authentic in English, I still hope the pictures can tell you something about the great time we've had! :)

So let me just thank Pieter for again making it such a great time!

Cheers,

alboe

I just uploaded some of my favorite shots made with my Canon IXUS 400: www.ipernity.com/doc/alboe/album/35647

Just take a look, maybe you like some of them. :)

As you can see (on the right) my birthday is approaching. Since people are used to give me presents and/or money on that day (I don't know why :P), I'll ask all of them to throw their money into one pot. Me'll throw some xtra coins into and afterwards I will try to swap that pot with a zoomlens somewhere. ;)

Could you help me a bit with finding the right one?

To make the shape a bit clearer the following information:

- me have Nikon D70s

- me want zoomlens >= 200mm

- me still n00b and no rich guy, so no need for Million-Dollar thingy ( <= EUR 300)

- me already have Nikon AF18-70/1:3,5-4,5G ED (so 17-80mm is clear ;))

- Tamron AF70-300 F/4-5,6 LD?

- Sigma AF 4,0-5,6/55-200 DC?

- Tamron AF 3,8-5,6/28-200 XR Di?

- Sigma AF 3,5-6,3/28-300 DG Macro?

- Tamron AF 3,5-6,3/28-300 XR Di LD?

- Nikon AF28-200 /1:3.5-5.6G IF-ED?

- special-secret-super-uber-tip?

- heeeeeeelp?

THANKS A LOT! :)

Ogurek, ogurek, ogurek ma zielony garniturek. Czapke i sandały zielony, zielony jest cały.

Just remembered this one. (Klaudia taught me several years ago. :)) Since I don't know how to write polish, I just asked Mr. Google ("ogurek ma zielony") and to prevent losing it again, just eternalize it here.

P.S.:

Die Gurke, die Gurke, die Gurke hat grüne Kleider. Von Kopf bis Fuß (Mütze und Sandale) ganz grün.

De komkommer, de komkommer, de komkommer heeft groene kledij. Van top tot teen (muts en sandaal) groen geheel.