Kent's Digital Ink

Sample post testing Wistia integration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 19:15:00 +0000

Is it possible to find traditional Singaporean food on Orchard Rd?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 04:32:00 +0000

As many of you know, Singapore is an example of a country that's gone through light-speed economic development in the past 30 years. I've been returning to Singapore almost yearly since I've lived there in 2008, I'm still surprised how many things continue to change on a yearly basis.

The new Duxton HDB complex provides a huge contrast to the old shophouses in the Chinatown area

It's hard to imagine that Singapore's food culture, maybe about 40 years ago, looked like Penang, with open carts in the streets, hawkers organizing themselves in a car park after hours. In fact, a number of Singaporeans are worried that their food culture and heritage is getting lost, especially with the explosion of blogs and articles on Singapore's vanished hawker centers.

Link: http://remembersingapore.org/2012/08/27/singapores-vanished-markets-and-hawker-centres/

On my most recent trip, I thought I'd try to find some "old fashioned" food on Orchard Road, Singapore's most premium shopping street, filled with mid-end and high-end malls. Although Orchard Road does have many fine restaurants, like Ding Tai Fung's soup dumplings in Wisma Atria, most choices are all air-conditioned inside a mall.

While shopping on Orchard Road, I asked the young cashier if there's any good places for chicken rice, but in a hawker center setting. The response surprised me - he said there's a good place down the road, but he was concerned it would be too hot, as it was an outside setting. A hawker center on Orchard Road? Seems out of place!

I walked about 2-3 blocks (considered far in the cashier's mind), to the corner of Orchard and Cavenaugh Road, next to the Concorde hotel, I came across a hawker center, nearly invisible and ignored under the towering malls and hotels nearby.There were only a few patrons eating lunch there, maybe because it was already past lunch. And as the cashier mentioned, it was warm, but nothing out of the ordinary in Singapore. Fans throughout the hawker center helped to keep the air flowing, and send enticing aromas my way..

Sure enough, there was a Boon Kee chicken rice stall, with a full set (chicken, rice, soup, vegetables) was available for only S$6.50.The stall next door, selling oyster omlettes, another favorite of mine, was not yet open, but it was clear the operators were preparing for the evening, with the trays of brown chicken eggs occupying most of the counter.

I had only 24 hours in Singapore, and having Hainanese chicken rice was on the top of my list. Fragrant rice, flavored with chicken stock and pandan, served with a side of soft slices of poached chicken, with ginger and chili sauce on the side. A plate of vegetables and a light chicken soup helped to round out the meal. My lunch craving was satisfied!

Of interesting note - the previous picture of the stalls still has the old name of the oyster omlette store as "Orchard Road Car Park Fried Oyster Omlette". According to the previously linked blog, the Orchard Road Car Park hawker center was demolished in 1978, and the hawkers were re-settled into another location. I find it interesting that 36 years later, the stall still retains the name of the old stall as "Orchard Road Car Park". As Orchard Road (and the rest of Singapore) continues to develop, what will happen to these old hawker centers? Will they disappear into modernization? Although I appreciate the convenience of eating inside an air conditioned food court in a mall, there's something special about eating in an outside environment that hasn't changed in years.

Location:
Boon Kee Chicken Rice, Hawker Center at the corner of Orchard and Cavenaugh Road, next to Centerpoint Mall and the Concorde Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 11:10:00 +0000

Amazing fish soup specialists. Either hand made fish meatballs or silky soft slices of fish. They add some milk into the soup too. Fresh ginger and onion makes the soup feel very light..

Are there affordable mid-range restaurants in Stockholm?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:04:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to have a chance to visit Stockholm, Sweden, for a long-weekend trip, and two friends from work also joined us as well. It was my first time to Sweden, and I knew that the Scandinavian countries were going to be expensive, especially when it came to dining out.

Our first night after arrival, we explored Ostermalm market, which is a beautiful old-European style market (like a grander version of Westside Market in Cleveland), with vendors selling all sorts of fres groceries, but particularly with a focus on seafood

Ostermalm Market in the evening

In the evening, some of the walkway areas are converted into table spaces, and a number of these vendors offer a full dinner service, or "after work", as they called it, seemingly like "Happy Hour" in the US. The evening crowd is quite interesting... small groups of well-dressed people, enjoying a wine and snack at the bar, or small groups huddled in quiet conversation around the tables.

Dining out in Scandinavian countries always appears as a very formal and elegant experience. Men in their jackets, women nicely dressed for an evening out, even if it's just eating inside a covered market. In fact, while having dinner at this market, we even saw a "night out" between a father and his young 5-8 year old daughter, who was dressed very nicely for what appeared to be a dinner out with dad.

While these dining experiences are enjoyable, it can get quite expensive as a tourist to be eating out so often. And in my previous experience in Denmark, as I noticed in Sweden, it's hard to find mid-range restaurant choices. Even for us, a meal inside the food market costed nearly SEK200 (US$30) per person, including drinks. And on lower end, there are kebab shops, and while tasty, they're probably not that good for you (ie, lots of salt in kebab meat), and still not that much cheaper at SEK100 (US$15). Were there any mid-market restaurants where we could find something that was better than a kebab, but cheaper than a full restaurant (or even market) experience?

Before our trip, one of Sen's colleagues, a native of Stockholm, had written down a place called Bakfickan, and I had also heard about it on the CHOW.COM forums, and on our last day, we decided to give it a try. I had some high hopes - Bakfickan, meaning "in the hip pocket", is a type of restaurant in Sweden that typically shares a chef or kitchen with a more well-known restaurant. In our case, Bakfickan was located in the bar behind the restaurant Operakallaren, with set menus starting at SEK995 (almost US$150 per person!). Instead of haute cuisine, Backfickan specialized in Swedish home cooking, like Swedish meatballs, something I could recognize from IKEA.

Finding this place wasn't easy - and it didn't help that we had to backtrack from our original location, because I had the wrong address in my head. The restaurant was near the Opera house, but the entrance wasn't as obvious as the Operakallaren. Maybe this was by design from an MBA graduate who wanted to make sure that Bakfickan didn't cannabalize the business from the higher-end restaurant next to it. After going around the side of the opera house, we finally found the door, and when we opened it, we saw this:

Dark wood paneling, accentued with a blue and white tile pattern along the walls, with a bar around the center, and high-top tables around the sides. The tables were designed for small, intimate groups, maybe 3-4 people at a maximum. The restaurant was quiet when we arrived, only 2 people sitting on a table overlooking the outside, with 2 staff members quietly working in the background. The day's two menu choices were written on the chalkboard behind the bar, but one area appeared erased, as Sen noticed, indicating the dish (a type of salmon) was sold out, as confirmed by the waiter. In addition to the day menu choices, there was a standard menu as well. Surprisingly, there was a section of the board that had a listing of vegetarian options as well! Unfortunately, if I'm paying expensive SEK, I should be buying meat instead of vegetables.

Knowing it was our only Swedish "home cooked' meal opportunity, I ordered Swedish meatballs, which came presented with a very smooth rendition of mashed potatoes, and Sen ordered a very tasty smoked sausage dish, also with a side of mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Great value for the quality and presentation, as each dish was ~SEK150 each. Definitely healthier and better prepared than kebabs, and cheaper than going out to a full-service restaurant. After a long day of walking in the cold, these winter dishes were exactly what we needed for our last dinner in Stockholm before returning to the US

As we finished our meal around 9pm, a large group of male, English-speaking businessmen arrived, for what appeared to be a late after work meal. It was quite an international group, and including two younger people probably in their late 20's or 30's. I imagined that maybe these were some consultants (McKinsey? BCG?) getting dinner after work. Who doesn't enjoy a good meal after a long day?

Location:
Bakfickan
Karl XII:S torg, adjacent to the Opera House
Stockholm, Sweden

Barcelona Part 3 - Seafood Dining

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:47:00 +0000

When going to Barcelona, I never thought that it was a seafood city, despite sitting on the northeast corner of Spain along the Mediterranean ocean.. it's more of a sign of my poor geography in that region. Certainly Spanish tapas was known for it's use of seafood (like calimari), but it didn't really come to mind as strongly as my association of Spanish food with ham and pork

Nonetheless - my European colleagues had booked a seafood dinner for us, in an appropriately-themed nautical restaurant called Botafumeiro. Apparently, the botafumeiro refers to the swaying chalices with smoke that were used in Catholic churches in the olden days, and can be seen in the restaurant's logo on the outside.

The nautical theme in the restaurant could be seen everywhere, from the wood and brass finishings inside the restaurant, to the navy-like white uniforms of the waitstaff. If you looked carefully, you could find the captain's wheel or brass speed indicators used as a lamp base.

Given that this restaurant was "restaurant marisqueria" (seafood restaurant), we had to order their seafood! But first - an appetizer of jamon iberico

Can't start dinner without some ham first

The restaurant's signature plate was a shellfish plate, which was waaay larger than expected, but delicious. Surprisingly, the shellfish tended to be more grilled, similar to a style you'd find in Malaysia/Singapore, instead of the more French style of boiling or lightly cooking in butter. Our plate had nearly everything: crabs, lobster tail, calimaris, huge prawns (actually, more correctly, langoustines, which are like prawns with claws), scallops, mussels. Pretty much if it had a shell, it was on the plate!

Does it have a shell? If yes - it's on this plate.

Since we were there for a conference, this restaurant did pretty good business for corporate clients, as a pharma company had booked this amazing looking library room for their guests. As expected for a place like this, it'll be definitely pricey. I think my colleagues felt a bit embrassed about the size of the bill, especially since we were on our own and not with customers.

Private "Library Room" dining - don't think any librarian would approve of eating near books

In the end, a nice introduction for Spanish grillled seafood, a break from the typical tapas menu, and a fun night with colleagues.

Restaurant Botafumeiro

Carrer Gran de Gràcia, 81
BARCELONA
http://www.botafumeiro.es/en/home

Barcelona - Part 2 - Eating around town, beginning with tapas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 07:42:00 +0000

Cervecería Catalana – was a hidden gem of a tapas recommendation from a friend who often travelled to Barcelona. We were already walking near the Passieg de Garcia area, near the Ramblas, and my colleagues hadn’t set any plans for dinner, so I suggested that we try this place, based on my friend's recommendation.

If you’re not already familiar with tapas, they are Spanish “small plates”, almost like appetizers. There’s some debate on the origins of Spanish tapas, when literally translated means “covers” but one commonly held belief is that in the olden days, in order to prevent flies or other insects from getting into one’s drink, you could place an edible “cover” that would go over your drink, and these small appetizers would be placed over that cover. There are both warm and cold dishes, like patatas bravas, thinly shredded pan-friend potatoes, the incredibly tasty jamon Iberico – cured Spanish ham served with toastpoints, or cold dishes like calamari, tossed in olive oil.

Jamon Iberico - best ham ever!

Set on a side street of one of the main tourist avenues, it’s a difficult to miss tapas restaurant. As we arrived for a typical late Spanish dinner around 8pm, there was already a long line of people waiting for tables in this tightly packed bar/restaurant, with the tables spilling onto the sidewalk for al fresco dining. There was this strong energy to the place – waiters moving quickly to serve their customers, a noisy bar where smaller groups were chatting and enjoying their drinks and tapas, all amid a very modern sleek décor.

There was about a 30 minute wait for a table for the four of us, so we took our drinks outside and were chatting, when we suddenly became the magnet for other Americans who were either ordering or considering eating at this place! Quite funny – as our group consisted of two Americans (including myself), and a Belgian and German colleague. Somehow, our group must have looked like some kind of eating experts, as one of the diners sitting outside near us started to ask us which dishes they should order!! (patatas bravas and the jamon Iberico were our recommendations). At nearly the same time, a couple from New York, who probably stumbled upon the place when hearing us talking about waiting for a table, and we struck up a great conversation with them, which made our waiting time go by very quickly!

Ordering here is quite easy – if you’re eating at the bar, the various plates are set on top of the bar, and you can just point at any of the dishes, or if you decide to eat at the restaurant, you get a proper menu. Note: if you want a table, make your way past the busy entrance and bar, until you see the restaurant manager who has the waiting list.

Cervecería Catalana

Carrer de Mallorca, 236,

08008 Barcelona, Spain ‎

Barcelona - Part 1 - Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 04:28:00 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to re-visit Barcelona, a city that I've had little background, other than a few hours in passing about 9 years ago. Back then, my only memory of Barcelona was the Sagrada Familia, the modern cathedral that was still being built 80 years later, and some paella.

Now, 9 years later, what a difference! First, the Sagrada Familia, the final masterpiece of Spanish architect Gaudi, while still under construction, is now actual working functional cathedral. I still remember hearing the sounds of drilling and hammering on the cathedral floor when I visited in 2004, but that sound has been replaced by hushed voices with a background of choral music.

Chapel under construction in 2004

Chapel in Sept 2013

There are some interesting architectural details from Gaudi - they are sometimes a bit surreal and odd, but quite clever. From my visit in 2004, I remember the tops of the cathedral towers were crowned with brightly colored pieces of fruit - like an apple, cherry, pineapples. Those same fruits were already showing their age, with their colors now muted by dust and age. In this trip, I continued to discover some interesting details. A colleague pointed out that the columns weren't the usual columns, but were designed to appear like trees, including some "corrugation" around the columns to look like bark, as well as the columns branching above to look like tree limbs. Even the branching patterns sometime appear random. Gaudi was able to combine the appearance of nature's randomness while maintaining architectural support into these columns.

Treetops and (a)symmetrical beauty

Sometimes, there are whimsical elements in the architecture, including these buildings near the front entrance of the cathedral. They share the Gaudi influence of "waviness" (I'm sure there's a more technical term for this), but at first glance, it appears like something out of the Smurfs!

Smurf village? or Gaudi masterpiece?

The cathedral is expected to be completed in 13 years, 2026, for the 100th year anniversary of Gaudi's death. Tragically, he was struck by a tram during the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

Barcelona is a living monument to Gaudi's archtectural style, as his buildings are scattered throughout the city. And despite the age of the buildings, nearly a 100 years old, the style remains quite modern to this writer's eyes.

Part 2... Spanish food and restaurant recommendations for future reference...

Spring in Amsterdam, return of terraces and bikes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:08:00 +0000

Spring in Amsterdam is always one of my favorite times of the year - usually marked by Queen's Day on April 30th. With the beginning of spring, this means the days are finally getting longer, people can stay and linger on the terraces, and the weather is warm enough for people to bike throughout the city.

As any visitor has experienced, bikes rule the roads in Amsterdam, and much of the Netherlands. The entire transit system is optimized for bike traffic: there are dedicated bike paths that run next to major roads, and if not, there are separately marked bike lanes on the streets. For the most part, bikes and cars share the road, although in my opinion, I think you'd be crazy to drive in Amsterdam given the volume of bike traffic. In fact, along some of the major intersections, because of the volume of bikes going with traffic, cars that are making a left or right turn often have to wait several cycles of the stoplight before being able to turn, due to all the bikes crossing. It's almost like the cars need a protected left/right arrow from the bikes!

Dutch bikes are built very differently from the styles normally seen in the US, and they're quite practical in design for weather and utility. For the wet/rainy weather, there's always a splash guard behind the front and back wheels, and there's also a covered chain so that you can bike into work in your suit without worrying about your pants getting stained by oil. For the brakes, instead of a disc brake along the wheelrim, there's an integrated brake hub that's connected to the axle. I assume this is to provide better braking performance when the wheels are wet, since the braking mechanism is sealed instead of exposed.

For utility, these bikes are designed for comfort and convenience. You'll first notice that the handlebars are curved, allowing the rider to sit straight upright, without "hunching". It increases drag, so definitely not good for sport racing, but it is comfortable for long bike rides of 20-30 minutes. Almost all bikes will have rear rack for carrying groceries, beer crates, or sometimes even crazier things like desks, computer monitors, even chest of drawers! With HS's help, we actually attached my heavy rollerbag onto my bike once, and successfully brought it from the train station to my house. Imagine, about 25 pounds of luggage strapped onto one side of my bike, and it was still balanceable!

For young mothers, there's also the baksfiets, which looks like something you'd expect on a farm, like a cross between a bike and a wheelbarrow. It's a bike with a huge "scoop" in the front (the bakje, or small container), where you can put the kids into the front. And in case of rain, there's a cover than can pull over their heads. If you're a young family living in the city, instead of a minivan, you get a bakfiets.

Besides the bikes, the nice spring weather makes for great walking-around weather. One of my favorite places to bike through is the huge Vondelpark, something like Central Park for Amsterdam. It's a huge open green space, surrounded by huge trees and amazing tall houses which are probably some of the most expensive addresses in Amsterdam. THe park is filled with huge paths for walking, biking, running, roller-blading. As the days get longer and the summer weather begins, the park gets filled with people enjoying a barbeque, playing cards, pick-up game of soccer, etc. I always enjoyed biking through the Vondelpark instead of taking the parallel streets when going between my old apartment and the center.. not only do you avoid traffic, but it's a great place to people watch, either from the park, or from the few cafes with terraces overlooking the park. Whether just enjoying a coffee and reading my Economist, or meeting up with friends for a drink, the Vondelpark is a great place just to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

The other advantage of the beginning of spring in Amsterdam is the long/late evenings.. this means that the sunsets start around 8pm and start to go later, and the city becomes very beautiful right around sunset, with the combination of the interior lights coming on just as dusk begins. Amsterdam houses (and maybe Europe in general) frequently have extremely large windows. I was never quite sure of the reason why, maybe because it allows as much light in as possible during the winter months where there's only 6-7 hours of sunlight? Or because the Dutch enjoy their openness, allowing everything inside to be seen from the outside? Or because the old canal houses have very narrow staircases, and thus having large windows are necessary to bring furniture in through the windows instead of the staircases? Either way, it makes for an amazing scene - seeing the warm glow from an interior room with ~15-20 foot ceilings just as sunset begins.

But of the best things about the spring and summer is the chance to enjoy a nice refreshing snack. In the Jordaan and throughout the city, there's a local chain of shops called "Yscupje", or "little ice cup", which sells excellent self-made ice creams and sorbets.

The location in the Jordaan is particularly nice, as you can enjoy a cup of ice cream while sitting on the side of the canal surrounded by the canal houses, and watch the boats (and tourists) go by....

And for those looking for something less sweet, there's plenty of places to enjoy a drink - either going through the Heineken experience (not that I've ever done it, because it's too touristy), or finding a nice bier cafe (like Gollem on Overtoom), where you can enjoy a drink with a view of the street. And nothing better than meeting with friends and enjoying a drink from a local Amsterdam brewery "Brouwerij 't IJ". When are they going to start importing to the US?!

The future of Penang street hawkers?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

On the way back from Georgetown, we happened across this friendly street hawker selling apong or apom, a Malaysian street snack that's similar to a filled crepe, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and in this case, filled with banana and sweet corn.

Run by a very friendly Mr. Guan (hence the name Apong Guan), he has been making apom for over 40 years, and apparently quite popular. While waiting for our order, there were already orders for around 50 pieces already in the queue, and several cars stopped by to place orders for 20 pieces! We ordered our minimum ten pieces, and watched Mr. Guan work while waiting for the order. While we waited, he was quite the entertainer, allowing us to "participate" in making our apom by having us try cooking a few pieces, and showed us an old photo, carefully wrapped in paper, of a much younger Mr. Guan, meeting one of the government ministers. He told us stories about various famous dignitaries, ordering apom from his non-descript cart, attached to a cycle, and parked in front of a schoolyard.

These street-side carts are quite common (and popular) in Penang, showing up at the same location, around the same time every day. It's quite a unique Penang tradition, as these street-side vendors are non-existent in Singapore, and nearly impossible in traffic-choked Kuala Lumpur.

After some time, I quickly noticed that most of these hawkers are quite old, especially in the case of Mr. Guan, who is probably in his 60's. These hawkers take their craft quite seriously, making each piece by hand, cooking with traditional methods, and avoiding most mechanization. In Mr. Guan's case, the only mechanization came from the gas tank heating his cooking plate, he still cut each banana by hand, and opened each can of corn by hand, mixed his apom batter by hand. It seems like a noble task, hand-making each of these snacks by traditional methods, shaded only by a tarp under the hot tropical heat.

I wonder what will happen to these vendors in the next 10 years. It's rare to find hawkers who are younger than 40, especially in the more famous stalls. Maybe this older generation don't want their children do be doing this type of difficult manual work. I do fear the loss of these old hawkers in the next 5 years... will these types of handmade snacks disappear? Will people lose the patience for waiting for these snacks? Will government regulate the street-side hawkers? Will this hawker generation retire without anybody following their footsteps?

In his case, and for all the other Penang street hawkers, I hope the tradition continues, and people realize what a unique place they have where these old food traditions are preserved.

Location: Apom Guan, opposite Sekolah Union, Jalan Burma, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.
Price: 10 pieces for RM4 (about $1.30)

KL Food Review - Sri Paandi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 12:06:00 +0000

As I'm preparing to leave NL, I'm finding myself trying to finish a number of old blog topics that I've wanted to write about. Hard to believe, but about 7 months ago, I was in SE Asia, and of course trying lots of new foods. I was recommended to go to Sri Paandi, an Indian banana leaf restaurant in Petaling Jaya. Apparently, it's very popular with people living in the area

From the outside, it looks like a typical Indian restaurant in Malaysia, and it gets better...

As you enter, they had some deliciously looking fried items, like vadas and such at the entrance...

It's pretty straightforward, you sit down, you get a banana leaf with rice, then these guys start coming around with various curries, sambar, and if you want, you can order additional fish/meat curries. In my case, I tried to get a bit of chicken, some veg curries, and pappadum on the side.

This guy (the "boss"), was very friendly and funny too, giving me this special hat so that I could be the "raja" of the restaurant

S and her family were either still full from our last meal, or weren't so interested in Indian dishes because it was too spicy, so they got some roti and naan instead, which were equally good!

We ordered for 4 people

1x banana leaf rice
1x goreng puyuh (?? fried quail?)
2x naan
1x mango lassi
3x teh ais

Total Cost: RM34 / USD10

Final verdict: tasty, hilarious experience wearing the special hat. Place is a little bit out of the way, I think you need a car or taxi to get there.

Restoran Sri Paandi
Petaling Jaya

Day in the Life - Antwerp

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 20:35:00 +0000

After over a year here, I've been taking the time to reflect on how things have really changed / progressed for me. I still remember arriving, very new, not knowing where anything was, still getting lost in the hospital... to today, where I know where everything is at, I feel comfortable getting anywhere, and have developed great friendships with the team here. It's something I can really feel proud about, growing from nothing to everything that I've built over the past year

To help me remember my time here, I thought I'd do a series about "day in the life", starting with my trips to Antwerp from Amsterdam. Although I lived in Amsterdam, I also had to cover Antwerp. Depending on my schedule, I'd rent a car for longer trips, or take the train for shorter trips.

1. By luck / chance, I happened to get an apartment near Amsterdam Lelylaan, which is only 5 minutes away by bike from my house. From here, there are frequent trains to Schiphol, and within 10 minutes, I'm at the airport. Such a strange feeling, biking to the train station, and arriving within 10 minutes to one of the largest international airports in Europe!

Amsterdam Lelylaan, with typical Dutch summer weather

2. Arrive in Schiphol, which has a fantastic train station connected with the airport, where I transfer onto the Thalys, the high-speed train to Antwerp. And it's seriously fast, I think like 180 km/h, so that's maybe 120 mph? If I'm hungry at Schiphol, I always loved stopping by the Delifrance to get a sausijzenbroodje (sausage filled pastry.. totally unhealth) and a warme chocomel met slagroom (hot chocolate with cream...) Guess if I'm already going unhealthy, might as well do it all at once. =)


Schiphol plaza

3. One hour later, arrive in the beautiful Antwerpen Centraal station. There's usually wifi on the train, but it's so unreliable, especially with all the tunnels between Amsterdam and Antwerp. And besides, when I'm going to Antwerp, it generally means a sleep study, so I try to get as much rest as possible where-ever I can..

And - that reminds me of another story, the dangers of not getting enough sleep.. I once had to go to Antwerp right after a sleep study in Amsterdam, with only 2 hours of sleep, and I had all of my photography equipment with me to make a training video. Normally, when I traveled to Antwerp, I just brought a backpack for a daytrip, but this time, I had my suitcase.

I stepped off the train, almost right under the sign below, and started walking towards the escalator, when I realized... WHERE'S MY LUGGAGE! I had left it on the train!! And the Thalys stop isn't more than a few minutes. In huge panic, I ran back to the train, told the train attendant that my luggage was still onboard, she told me to quickly search since they had to leave soon. And in such a panic, I completely forgot which coach I was sitting in, and was running like a a crazy man going thru all the carriages, trying to find my luggage. Eventually I did find it, but that was a close call. Would have been terrible if I didn't get it on time, all my equipment, probably ending up in Paris (the final destination). Later on, this also happened to one of my colleagues, and the Thalys staff actually radio'd ahead to have the luggage brought offboard and locked up for retrieval.... but that was a close call. Note: make sure to always have some business card or contact info on your luggage!

Arrival in Antwerpen Centraal via Thalys

4. After arriving in Antwerp, I usually called my taxi-guy, Issah. It's so funny how we first met, I just chose a random taxi from the station, and got this native English-speaking Ghananian (ie, from Ghana) guy, and we just struck up a great relationship. He knows where to pick me up, always takes my calls, keeps me updated on Belgian and Ghana news, and a guy I could always trust. The 2nd time I was in Antwerp after meeting him, I had planned to call him ahead of time, but didn't have a chance... and when I went to the taxi rank, guess who I found first in line? Issah again!

5. UZA unfortunately is really far away from the center of Antwerp, so that's why I had to take a taxi. I initially tried going there with buses, but it just took too long. It's so far out of the city, they have chickens running around. (ok, it's only about 15 mins away, but it's funny to find chickens running around)

Chickens in front of UZA (University Hospital Antwerp)

6. Then, I head into my "home", the sleep lab. The staff there have been so nice to me, and so funny too. I've enjoyed hearing about one tech's travels to the US, how she loves travelling to the west, to the research co-ordinator, who sometimes "camps" overnight inside the hospital, since he has to be back in the morning, and it's easier to sleep in the hospital than to fight traffic going home. Amazingly, they have like 10 rooms, with 1-2 sleep techs the entire night. With 2 monitors per room, all mounted on the wall, it gets super-hot in that room! I think in the winter, we'd even open a window to keep the room cool enough!

And that's a typical night in Antwerp, another 6-7 hours at night in the sleep lab, then a very drowsy taxi/car ride back to my hotel, where I crash for the next 5-6 hours, then back to Amsterdam!

Emergency dentist visit

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:06:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I had my first interaction with the Dutch healthcare system. I woke up one day to a mild toothache, in a tooth that I've previously had problems and a previous root canal. Like all things, I decided to wait it out a bit longer, except it got painfully worse the second day. By that time, I thought, better call a dentist. But how? I had no idea how the Dutch dental system worked

Luckily, after talking with a few other Americans here, and Dutch colleagues, I found that the system supports both insured and non-insured (self-pay) patients, in my case, that would be me.

But - one might ask, how does it work for non-insured patients? Interestingly, the dentist I go to (and apparently other dentists here) publish all their prices! What an amazing concept - people in the US talk about wanting a more competitive healthcare market, but when have you ever seen prices listed, even for a dentist? (see pricelist from my NL dentist here)

I chose Tenden Tandaartsen based on a recommendation from an INSEAD classmate, and a nice location near the Leidseplein. A surprisingly pleasant experience. Very clean/modern looking waiting room, new digital x-ray and EMR equipment, English speaking assistants and dentists, and interestingly, a separate room for every patient. Totally unlike the US dentists, where everything is in the open, the only thing blocking your chair from the next is usually a bookcase, and you can hear the equipment or discussions with the patient next to you, etc. When I told my Dutch colleagues about this, they were completely shocked, apparently, European privacy rules would never allow a setup like that.

So - the total cost for an emergency visit, x-ray, and diagnosis? EUR90. That's probably cheaper than a self-pay cleaning visit in the US! Cleaning vists here: typically EUR30-50! The reason prices are lower are twofold: first, there's clear price competition, since prices are listed for patients, and the only government intervention is that there is a clear maximum price, but no subsidy. One might think that with a price cap, that would drive away dentists, but apparently, the maximum price is still high enough that there's enough dentists around town that can make a decent living. It's a "managed competition" environment. Furthermore, the choice between self-pay or insured gives people a choice based on their own needs. For regular cleaning and small things, it doesn't make sense to buy any dental insurance.

And the diagnosis - apparently, when my root canal was previously done, the dentist didn't do a correct job of removing all of the root, so there was some residual nerve that was being inflammed by a sinus infection. Very clear on the x-ray that there was 3mm root remaining. Grr - I hate it when people just don't do their job right. Luckily, watching/waiting worked more, and it just went away, with some help of ibuprofen.

In either case, a pleasant experience with the Dutch system, and a good model of where basic dental care could go if the market were truly competitive.

Discovering Turkey Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:49:00 +0000

After reading in the EatingAsia blog about Turkey, the culture, history, and food, I've recently become fascinated with traveling around that region. Luckily, a few months ago, one of my Turkish INSEAD classmates invited me and another classmate to go exploring in Cappadocia, a place I had never heard about. I realized that I really didn't know much about the region. Growing up, most people study about Istanbul, maybe you hear abit about Ephesus, but after this trip, I learned that there's so much to see in Turkey, and that it's really felt like discovering a new place and country.

After getting the invitation from Erdem (my classmate), my first place to look was to study the wikipedia entry on Cappadocia. After seeing the pictures, I was totally hooked on going, and what better way than to go with a Turkish classmate that knows his way around.

Getting there was a bit complicated - I had to get to Ankara, in central Turkey, and then meet with my classmates, then drive another 2-3 hours into the Cappadocia region. I took the red-eye from Amsterdam on Turkish airlines to Istanbul.... and it's always a good sign when they call your name before boarding, because I got an free upgrade (!!) on the AMS-IST segment. That's the 2nd time it's happened to me on Turkish Airlines and particularly nice when you're taking the red-eye. It's more like US domestic coach, but they just block the middle seat and you have nicer meals. And I could at least get some sleep, since we left AMS around midnight, and the flight was 3.5 hours long.

"first" class seats on TK, with middle seat blocked

TK's meals, both in F and Y, are always tasty

Once arriving to IST at 3am, I had a 4-5 hour layover, since I wanted to take the same morning segment from IST-Ankara as my Turkish friends. Made my way into the TK lounge, and surprisingly, walked in without anybody checking my credentials. I somewhat knew that my Star Alliance silver status didn't include lounge entry on partners, but thought I'd try to sneak in with my F boarding pass, and nobody checked. That was nice - since I could actually sleep for a bit. But, I actually ran into a problem when exiting the lounge. Apparently, in IST, one can depart directly from the lounge to a bus that takes you to your gate. I didn't know this, so when I left the lounge and asked them how to get to my gate, they told me "there's a bus from here, just go back into the lounge". But, I couldn't get back into the lounge because I didn't have a Star Alliance Gold status, so I had to walk to the terminal. (no big loss, but a bit funny...)

I met my friends in IST in the morning, and then we ran into a bit of problems as TK was undergoing a strike, and our flight to Ankara was running a bit late, but not too bad, 30 mins or so. After arriving in Ankara, we immediately rented a car, and started our long drive to Cappadocia.

The landscape in that part of Turkey was really striking - a rocky, huge expanse, dry looking, but you'll see some farmers and goats/lamb herders. The highway is well-maintained, but fairly empty except for some big freight trucks and small passenger cars. However, there's still a bit of an "eastern" mentality as you get further out from the major areas, as my classmate was always stopping to ask for directions, and people would tell you directions to a nearest landmark, and you'd have to re-ask once arriving at that landmark.

A few interesting sights: an older Turkish lady, all covered up, but still working in the fields, gave me the impression that these were really hard working people. And, on the side of the road, you'll see these merchants, selling nuts and other dried fruit. Interesting fact - the hazelnut that you often see in chocolates, is actually originally Turkish .

And - my other "sign" of an eastern mentality, was how people thought of food. It really reminded me of traveling throughout Singapore / Malaysia, where everybody had an opinion of food, and could tell you where to go. After buying a few dried fruits and nuts from this roadside vendor, my friend asked where we should get lunch, and got a recommendation down the road. When we arrived, it was just a small roadside restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating, and the food was really great. Turkish "quick-service" restaurants typically have a few set dishes pre-prepared: some type of kofte (elongated meatball), vegetables (usually peppers, eggplant, zuchhini, etc), rice pilaf, and of course bread.

Turkish roadside restaurant

That's where I was first introduced to izmir kofte, incredibly tasty beef/lamb kofte in a tomato sauce. And this was generally true of most of the restaurants that we went to throughout Turkey - all of them had great food, everything seemed freshly prepared, there's a lot of care to have fresh vegetables along side the dish. Also, I didn't yet notice any mass commercialization, even in the large cities. And of course, meals were very affordable, a nice dinner might be EUR15 or so, but typical good dinner might be EUR10.

Izmir Kofte

And after a few hours more driving, we finally arrived in Cappadocia. It was an incredible view, an old town, completely cut out of rock. You would see this huge plain, with these "stone hills", and evidence that people have carved out cave homes from them, and have lived there for centuries. It was almost like seeing something out of Smurfs! We had booked a fantastic hotel, Hotel Ahbap Konagi, run by a French / Turkish couple. They've renovated a number of rooms that had a fantastic view of the hills / caves on their outdoor terrace.

View of the Cappadocia area

On our first night there, we sat outside on the terrace, talking about old times in the dark, with a view of the hills, and sounds of Turkish music from the nearby houses. It was one of those "moments" when you realize you're in a new, strange place, and there's a sense of wonder, that you can't believe you're actually there. And I was, completely amazed, and so glad that my Turkish friend had invited me to this place, someplace I'd never heard of before!

View from our hotel at night

Queen's Day and the beginning of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Wow, it's been so busy here, I can't believe i haven't posted since February. It's finally summer, and it all started with Queen's Day, on April 30th. We were incredibly lucky for the weather - it was clear and warm! (and strangely, the Sunday before, and the Tuesday after worth both miserable days...)

A little history about Queen's Day: it's probably the biggest public holiday in the Netherlands, celebrating the birthday of the last Queen (since the current's Queen's birthday is sometime in winter!). Everybody wears orange clothes (the official name of the Dutch royalty is the House of Oranje (orange), which is related to William of Orange in the UK, for those who remember their European history, who became King William (with Queen Mary) in England)

First, celebrations start with Queen's night, where lots of bands are playing, and people are already out partying, having fun, dressed in funny hats and anything orange, and buildings are decorated with Dutch flags and red/white/blue stripes.

Queen's day is a huge celebration, especially in Amsterdam. Everybody is outside wearing orange! Who knew that clothing companies would even make that many clothes in that color! (maybe only for people in NL?)

Also, one of the unique things about Queen's Day: is that she grants free permission for anyone to sell things openly. It's like a fun garage sale, people are selling their old clothes, records, home-cooked food, etc. People will even mark/reserve their spots on the pavements even days before Queen's Day

And, although this year the bands were mainly moved outside of the city center, there's still lots of music, especially in the floating barges/boats that are travelling around the canals, with their own DJ's, and pumping out loud dance music...(check out the YouTube video...)

Luckily, I came equipped with my Dutch/German week orange INSEAD polo-shirt, and Douwe-Egberts (local Dutch coffee company) was giving out these fantastic orange fedoras to complete my Queen's Day outfit.

The Dutch were really festive, and it was something comparable to Carnival in Den Bosch. It's an interesting comparison, because I think people in North Holland particularly like their regels (rules), and it's funny to see for 1 day, all the regels are disregarded... and very quickly, by the end of Queen's Day, the streets are being cleaned, and everything is back in order by the following day! So rRemarkably efficient, as if the rules can only be "broken" for only one day, but then everything needs to be back in order!

It was a great and hilarious experience, thanks to my INSEAD and hospital friends for making the day special! Definitely worth coming back to NL just for the experience...

Macau, the other Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:07:00 +0000

During my SE Asian grand tour a few weeks ago, I took advantage of a long layover in HK (~12hours) to make a quick side-trip to Macau. Macau was previously a Portugese colony, and even back in the colonial days, it was famous for casinos, but they were small places, and I remember seeing one when we visited as a family in the early 2000's

The main (and biggest at the time) Macau casino in 2003, Casino Lisboa

But now.. wow. A few years ago, a number of Las Vegas resorts started building huge resorts - the Venetian, the Wynn... from the outside, it even looks like Vegas, except when you go inside and don't find any slots, or rarely blackjack, but tons of tables playing baccarat, and finding not burgers/pizza in the food court, but fried rice, Chinese bbq, etc. What a strange experience. Apparently, gambling revenues (and profitability) in Macau a few years ago have exceeded Las Vegas. Unbelievable. Sometimes I find it ironic that Asians are "well-known" for good math skills, but somehow, there's a "co-morbidity" towards gambling.

Despite what you might think, this is NOT Las Vegas

It's called the "Cotai Strip", with the Wynn, MGM, etc....

The interiors of some of these casino hotels are amazing, huge chandeliers, aquariums, everything you'd expect from Las Vegas like excess. What's also interesting is the staff you find in the hotels... they must be hiring models for eye-candy. (and holy cow, they were all really tall) Similarly, there were Indian security staff, Filipino dealers and casino attendants, etc.

Overall, an interesting day trip from Hong Kong airport. It's really interesting to see how the casinos have changed Macau. There is still a bit of the shady feeling from the old casino days, but with the large resorts, it seems more "legit", although I'm sure there's still some shadiness that's always lurking around the corner. Singapore has recently allowed 2 casinos, I wonder how much if it will change in the next few years if they allow more.

If you have a long layover in Hong Kong, it's worth the trip. Costs about $30-40 RT to Macau from HK Airport via high-speed ferry. Make sure when you arrive that you don't go to your transfer gate, or don't go through HK immigration. There's a special area that allows you to go directly to Macau without passing thru HK immigration. The boats leave directly from HK airport to Macau Taipa ferry terminal.

One might ask - anything special to eat in Macau? My answer: Macau-style egg tarts! So delicious, and you can even find them in the Venetian! And cheap too, HKD$8, or about US$1.25 or so per piece.

Fun with Dutch Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:25:00 +0000

It's interesting to see how different languages deal with numbers.

I was at the immigration department on Friday, sitting and waiting for my number, #49, and in Dutch, it's said "negenenviertig ", or nine and forty, and this system is used for numbers greater than 20, but numbers less than 20 are similar in English (zestien = 16).

I find it strange how these two systems developed.. it reminds me of "big-endian" or "little-endian" systems from engineering. Do you put the larger number on the left side (as it is in English: twenty-one = 2 tens and then 1), or do you put the smaller numbers on the left (as it is in Dutch/German: negenentwentig, nine and then 20)

I once asked a Dutch colleague, when they writing down numbers that they hear on the phone, like negenentwentig, do they write it like it sounds (writing backwards, first then 9, then putting a 2 in front of it), because that's what I end up doing when I hear numbers and have to write them down.

Her answer: no, we just hear the whole number, and then write it.

Our brains must be so flexible to store numbers in different ways, it makes for funny mistakes when have to write a number I hear in Dutch from right-to-left, or when my Dutch colleagues tell me numbers in English but sometimes forget to switch the order.

I wonder why the system in English switches at 20? In English, numbers between 10-20, we say the 1 digit first, then "teen", but greater than 20, we say the 10's digit first, then the 1'st digit?

But in Germanic languages, it's always the one's digit first, then the 10's digit later, until you get to 100, then it's the 100 digit first, then the one's digit, followed by the 10's digit!!!

Ice skating at De Lierhof / Ijsschaatsen op De Lierhof

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:43:00 +0000

As you may have read, most of Europe, including Amsterdam, has been under an unusual winter freeze. It's been below freezing for over a week, and the canals have now frozen over.

In fact, the canal outside of my apartment has gone from a boat dock to frozen solid, and some people have made a makeshift ice skating rink!

Interestingly, these frozen canals are something very special for Amsterdammers, because now you see people skating on the canals! Apparently, this hasn't happened for over 10 years, and there's a huge discussion on whether a special race, the Eleven City Tour or "Elfstedentocht" will be held, something that only happens when the canals freeze. Apparently, it's over a 250km ice skating race, and officials are concerned whether the ice will support 16,000 people skating on the ice. I wonder if this is all overblown, especially when Minnesotans drive their car on the ice!

Pretty cool that when the canals freeze, you have a "skating highway" throughout all the various Dutch cities!

Minnesota weather in NL

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Update: HUGE snowstorm in NL today... probably 3-4 inches of snow. 850km of hughways throughout the are jammed due to snow. Despite this, people are STILL BIKING!

Just came back to NL after a vacation in SE Asia, and whew, it's cold here! It's like Minnesota weather... 20F (-10C), meanwhile, I hear that it's fairly warm back home in MN

I remember once telling Sen that walking in the cold (ie, below freezing) is no problem. BUt after biking a few blocks yesterday in that weather.. whew, it's COLD!

Who knows, either SE ASia reset my temperature expectations, or there's a big difference between the short walk from your car to the office vs. biking outside in below freezing weather.

btw - I arrived in NL from SE Asia with only a fleece... good thing I packed a jacket in my luggage which was completely useless while in SE Asia...

Back to the NL, and soap...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Happy New Years - I'm back to NL after a too-short visit back to the US. Strangely, seems like forever that I was back in the US, but also seems too short. It's a very strange feeling to have multiple homes.

I had this realization today after arriving at the airport that Amsterdam is feeling very familiar. It's so strange to go on a long flight, wake up in a new place, which seems strange and familiar at the same time. Especially when 3 places seem "home" to me - whether it's in Ohio where I grew up, in MN where I've been living, or NL where I've been working.

This particularly makes things complicated when people ask me now, "Where do you live?" or "Where are you from?". It usually goes something like "Well, I'm living in the NL now, but my actual home is in Minnesota, where I work, but I'm from Ohio". By then, most people have a really confused look on their face. Guess there's no simple answer for that question. I'm sure lots of international students in the US or even college students who study in a different state probably have similar identity crises, or even Americans posted overseas too. I wonder how long does it take for somebody to change their answer from where they grew up as a child as "Home" to where they're living as "home. Maybe it takes life-events like the birth of a child, or marriage, or just many years before people identify a new place as "home".

And in a random comment - I was thinking how some things I do in my house are still very "American". For example, bath soap. It's much more common in Europe to use bath gel instead of soap bars. However, I still prefer the soap bar. But - since soap bars aren't common here, it's difficult to find things like soap dishes! I had to import that one from the US.

Then - I was thinking - with the water being quite hard here (lots of calcium), soap bars don't lather up very well. Maybe that's why bath gel is more common? Would be interesting if that was a local adaptation to the water conditions here.

Any thoughts on soap from my readers? And welcome any comments on the thoughts about what defines "home"?

Poffertjes Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:30:00 +0000

All the Christmas decorations are coming out in Amsterdam, it really feels like a special time, with special foods and drinks. They've really borrowed a lot from the German Christmas markets, but with a Dutch twist.

First - you start seeing these food trucks "Oliebollen krammen" showing up in various plazas, including Schipol Plaza!!

I loved the photo above because it was such a gray/cloudy day, I was in Schipol grabbing lunch before a train, and outside, in the corner of Schipol plaza, right outside the exit to get to the taxis, there's this bright little food truck sitting there..

Inside these foodtrucks, they're essentially mobile donut makers, frying up oliebollen (oil balls, there's got to be a better English translation!), and other variations, include apple-filled oliebollen, and of course, wafels.

Then, inside the city, they've converted many public areas, like the Leidseplein from an area with seats for the bars nearby and vendors into an super small ice-skating rink, and huts selling all sorts of great hot snacks for the cold, including bratwurst, churros (spanish donuts?), poffertjes (incredibly yummy mini-pancakes with butter and powdered sugar), wafels, pannekoeken (Dutch pancakes, a cross with a crepe and American pancake), chocomel (warm hot chocolate) and gluhwein (sweet warm red wine) Other plazas, like the Rembrandtplein are also converted into festive little areas.

It's so nice to see these little huts, it really feels festive! And, there's nothing like being in the cold weather and enjoying hot freshly-made poffertjes with a cup of warm hot chocolate! You've got all the essential food groups - pancakes, butter, sugar, and chocolate milk!

But - five Euros for the poffertjes/mini-pancakes! Totally worth it!

Learning about fiets (bikes)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:46:00 +0000

There's a probably one word that is quickly learned in NL, it's fiets, Dutch for bike. You learn this word quite quickly, because of all the signs:
geen fiets (no bikes)
fietsen worden verwijderen (bikes will be removed)
fietspad (bike path)
Het Zwarte Fietsplan (name of a bike shop that includes a large basket in the front)
Bakfiets.nl (a bike for families, with a huge scoop/bucket in the front for little kids to sit in)

One of these days, I'll post a collection of photos, a sort of "fiets anthropology" that shows all the different sorts of fietsen found around town...

I've also wondered why the Dutch word for bike is so different from all the neighboring languages (ENglish, French, German)... and found this great article on Radio Netherlands "Fun Fact Friday"... apparently, the word fiets is so important in Dutch, there's lots of sayings that have evolved around it! Here's the story from the Fun Fact FRiday..

Bicycle = fiets:

The Dutch word for bicycle is fiets (pronounced "feets")... and nobody really knows why. In most languages, the etymology is obvious - the English bicycle, meaning "two wheels", the French vélocipède, meaning "fast feet", the German fahrrad, meaning "ride wheel".

This was originally the case in Dutch as well - the bicycle was officialy known as a rijwiel or "ride wheel". This term can still be found in combination with other words such as rijwielhandelaar or "bicycle store"

Some people say the word fiets came from E. C. Viets, a bicycle-maker in the 1880s, but it appears that the term was in use ten years earlier. Others suggest it is a corruption of the French word for speed,vitesse or even the French word for bicycle vélocipède. Still others say that it's an onomatopoeic word that simply sounds like a fast-moving bicycle: ffts. It has also been suggested that the word fiets is derived from vietsen, meaning "to move quickly" in Dutch dialect.

In any case, bicycles are a part of Dutch daily life and the word fiets has made its way into many common expressions. Here are a few typical examples:

Op díe fiets. Literally: On that bicycle. Figuratively: Oh, that's what you mean!
Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen? Literally: What's hanging on my bike? Figuratively: What's going on? What's happening? (Said by someone who is *really* surprised.)
Geef mijn fiets terug. Literally: Give me my bike back. Figuratively: It's a joke referring to WWII when the Germans confiscated many Dutch bicycles; it's used to make fun of Germans.
Snel door heen fietsen. Literally: To cycle quickly on. Figuratively: To go through something quickly, as in an agenda item on a meeting.
Op een oude fiets moet je het leren. Literally: You have to learn on an old bicycle. Figuratively: Young people should learn about sex with an older (trusted) lover.

Passport photos, is it really that difficult?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:01:00 +0000

I'm seriously behind on blog posts, but just had to post about an amusing topic... passport photo requirements in the Netherlands, which is related to my work permit here. Ever wonder why some people have these terrible passport photos, where it looks like jail mug shot? I know why now....

My work permit in NL was finally approved, and one of the requirements is a passport photo. The immigration agency clearly outlined that the passport photo is a highly important part of the process. There are strict guidelines on what the photo should contain, and I should have a professional, authorized photographer to take my photo. US passport photos are not acceptable. Photo booth photos are not acceptable.

What?? Professional authorized photographer? Seriously? I've done my own passport photos before with a SLR and Photoshop, why would i ever use a professional photographer? And authorized photographers? How hard could this be? Sounds crazy.... until I read the Dutch regulations for passport photos. (and are sometimes completely comical)

1. Length from ear to ear must be 16-20 mm, and from chin to tip of head must be 26-30 mm (really? is the inspector going to measure my photo? and what if you're Vincent van Gogh, missing an ear?)

2. Dark eyeglasses are not permitted unless you have a medical exception and a doctor's signature (hm.. I guess the Unabomber's photo is OK if he was legally blind?!! And, I guess I'm in Amsterdam, there's probably a doctor's certificate for almost anything)

3. Head be fully visible, except for those with high hairstyles, who are allowed to have their hair outside the photo frame.

4. My personal favorite and exact quote: "Broad smile and an open mouth is not allowed. That does not mean that there needs to be a surly or sullen look."

HILARIOUS! The IND says I need to have a neutral expression, and even advises me that a neutral expression doesn't mean I shouldn't look sad or surly. Hah!

If you're curious, ask me to post my photo (which I did myself) - I don't think there's any neutral expression photo that doesn't look sad or surly..

Things I Miss, part II

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:57:00 +0000

I discovered today, of all the things I would miss, I can't believe it's something so simple...

a steak knife!

Made a steak today for dinner, and realized that this well-furnished apartment only has butter knives (and 1 cheese knife).

Strangely, I can't find a set of steak knives in the stores here!

Things I miss

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:31:00 +0000

I had dinner with a INSEAD friend's classmate yesterday, an Dutch native that's spent some time in the US, and he asked me an interesting question. "Is there anything that you miss?"

It's interesting to think about what things you really miss, even when in a very diverse/international city like Amsterdam. Of course, you'll always miss the company of people and friends that you have in your home town, but what "things" did I miss? Thinking of this gives one an interesting perspective on what is your core identity.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I missed:

Mexican food: this one is probably top of mind because I tried to find a recommended Mexican place this weekend (via dutchgrub.com food blog), but they were closed for vacation! I need to find my Casa Lupita!
NPR: this one surprised me, but on my weekends here, I really miss the voices, stories, and laughter from listening to weekend NPR programs like Car Talk or "Wait Wait, don't tell me". Luckily, there's podcasts or NPR streaming, and I'm actually listening to Weekend Edition Sunday right now, covering the 9/11 memorial service in NYC.
Long Drives in my car: this one is usually associated with NPR, since I'm often driving around on weekend errands, listening to NPR. I know this one doesn't seem very environmentally friendly, but sometimes it's really handy to have a car. I've done a lot on my bike over the past weeks (strapping groceries, pizza boxes, takeout onto to the back of my fiets), but sometimes you're just limited to how much (and how big) of things you can carry on the bike
Minnesota summers / State Fair: Those last days of summer in MN are really special, the last few long nights and warm evening weather, and the the fun/people watching associated with the state fair. Something to really savor before the weather turns to fall and winter.

On a more serious note, Sept 10, 2011 marks ten years of starting work after graduation, and Sept 11th, 2001 was my first true "working" day at Guidant. Spend some time today to honor those affected by that tragic day.

De Lierhof

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:31:00 +0000

From De Lierhof

About 2 weeks ago, I moved into my new place in Amsterdam... it was hard trying to decide where to live. Living in the center meant that I could feel like I was in a city (since I've always lived in the suburbs), and live in one of these traditional Dutch apartments, but it also meant I had less space, and ladder-like steps if I chose an apartment above the ground floor. Since the Dutch buildings are so tall (and they're not very deep), you need some serious steepness to go up the stairs. Although you'd think that the traditional Dutch buildings are deep, there's typically a garden (or mini-park) behind the buildings, and you'd never realize this while looking at these tall buildings from the street level.

Or, I could live slightly at the edge of the center (still in Amsterdam), closer to the hospital, and a bit more space.

View Larger Map

In the end, I chose edge of center, which has been completely amazing. I have a tram stop in front of my apartment, it's 20 minutes by tram/metro to the hospital, or I can ride my bike, straight-shot, to the hospital, in... 20 minutes! And I'm really not that far from the center, I can reach the Leidseplein (main entertainment, restaurant area) in about 10 minutes by bike or tram. Plus it helped that this apartment already had a flatscreen TV, so I could hook-up my laptop to watch movies, etc.

And ironically, the owners of my apartment are actually living in the US now, in Georgia!

Photos under the Picasa album...(click top photo)