Categories
links and ideas

do we really need another holocaust?

neighbourhoods of the future: ignoring global warming won’t make it go away.
like someone said, “this is the time to shout about the problem and make SURE something is finally done”. so what can we do?

have a look at george monbiot suggestions on this article over the report of Nicholas Stern.
it will be so much much cheaper to start acting now than to pretend the problem is in such a far away future that i will never affect our lifetime. that’s so wrong. in 2004, the atlantic ocean current actually stopped for 10 days (remember what happens in the day after tomorrow?).

the problem is here, and it’s here to stay.
ironically, yesterday i was a bit enraged with all the debate around the abortion issue going on again in portugal (where it still isn’t legal except for medical reasons and the sorts) when today i realized this is a problem which should overcome all the other discussions – as monbiot puts it,The principal costs of climate change will be measured in lives, not pounds. As Stern reminded us yesterday, there would be a moral imperative to seek to prevent mass death even if the economic case did not stack up.”

let’s do something, shall we?

Categories
in china music

ni hao ma?

mandarin
her face is a map of the world
is a map of the world
you can see she’s a beautiful girl
she’s a beautiful girl
everything around her is a silver pool of light
people who surround her feel the benefit of it
it makes you calm
she holds you captivated in her palm

suddenly I see
this is what I wanna be

suddenly I see
why the hell it means so much to me …”

kt tunstall, suddenly i see

i heard the tunes of this song on the opening of the devil wears prada, and it has been stuck in my mind the whole day. i like these kind of jolly songs that make me want to shake my head around and sing out loud. they usually have the energy that it takes to lift spirits and motivation a bit, and turn me into a productivity frenzy bee.
does this happen to you? what’s your soundtrack? please share!

ps – lulu, i’ve started learning mandarin this week :) i’m one step closer!

Categories
just life

the lobster paradigm

“The trouble with being the Prime Minister’s sister is it does put your life into rather harsh perspective. What did my brother do today? He stood up and fought for his country. And what did I do? I made a papier-maché lobster head.”

(Karen, Love Actually)

Categories
just life

3 wishes for a grumpy rainy day


my kingdom for one of his kisses, a speculaas and a cup of celestial seasonings tea.

pretty please?

Categories
in the netherlands

los angeles style, man!

i know one shouldn’t judge a country by its stereotype, but sometimes, you find a specimen so typical, so ironically representative, that you forget all about impartiality.
as i was leaving the netherlands, i met an american guy from los angeles, arriving for a small exchange period. he asked us to use the internet on your computers every once in a while and we got the chance to talk on one of those “visits”.


him – you know…the dutch people… they’re so…
me – what?
him – like… not technologically advanced.

me – hum? what do you mean?
him – bicycles. who uses bikes these days? that’s so… backwards. i gotta get a car here.

i was shocked and speechless and then i laughed inside, secretly wondering if he knew about the dutch gas prices (only the highest in the world), and, let’s be honest, of how stupid he was, really.
the dutch are backwards because they use bicycles? ever heard of environmental friendly way of transportation which is also cheap and good for you? … i thought so. forget the car, try to find some brains instead.

ps – luckily, this stereotype was changed by another student i met later that week, from seattle, which was polite, moved normally and was nice to talk to. but then again, someone told me seattle was not a exactly a typical city… :)

ps2 – i’m back! no more exams for now! :D