the daily view from Thru Other Eyes

How much is that pussy in the window

  December 11, 2009; Westerstraat, Amsterdam @ 12.30

Sometimes, even in Amsterdam, a pussy in the window is.. well.. just a pussy.

Thoughts of thanks giving

Today I am in the USA to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The day inevitable leads to the question, "What am I grateful for?"

Oprah popularized the concept of a daily 'gratitude journal' which is a great idea but is something I do not do (although perhaps I will give it a try) and I suspect it is something that most people do not do. It is handy then to have a day like Thanksgiving when we take the time to pause and consider the blessings in our lives.

Today I feel grateful for all the love and friendship I have been so fortunate to experience in my life. In particular, I am grateful for the love and friendship I am privileged to share with that special person the universe has hooked me up with. But I am also grateful "to all the folks I've loved before..."

I am grateful for all the trials, tribulations and suffering the universe has placed on my path because it always has come with the strength, perseverance and most of all sheer luck to come out the other side a perhaps battered but surely more humble, compassionate and wiser human being.

But this year, perhaps I am most grateful that for whatever reason or with whatever purpose, the universe has helped me learn two powerful truths: "the greatest quality is seeking to serve..." and "to whom much is given, much is expected." Thank you universe and many friends and strangers who have helped me experience the power of these truths and for giving me the where-with-all to further explore what these truths will mean for my life.

Happy Thanksgiving. Whether you celebrate this holiday or not, where ever you are, I hope it is a day of love, friendship and gratitude for you and all who are dear to you.

On The Road Again

  As much as I love Wille Nelson's rendition of 'On The Road Again', I love even more being on the road again myself. During my 4 week absence you can follow my travels to Cambodia and Laos at Leonard's Trail.

Be well in the meanwhile and happy trails wherever your road leads you.

The Elephant Parade Marches On with Almond Blossom in the Lead

 Again today I came across some of the elephant statues in the city. This time in two locations, the Jodenbreestraat and the Spui. The Elephant Parade marches on! Today's featured elephant is 'Almond Blossom' and is dedicated to my dear friend Simonne who means so much to me every day of the year, year in, year out!

One of the elephants I came across today is now one of my favorites so far. Here on the right is 'Aboriginal' decorated with the colors, motifs and lizard symbol so characteristic of Australian Aboriginal art and culture.

Shaved Oga

 September 23, 2209; home, Amsterdam @ 16.45

Oga had his six-month coat maintenance visit to the groomer yesterday. It was the first time that he was shaved and groomed without having to be put to sleep for an hour thanks to the skill and patience of the new groomer we found. According to the groomer it wasn't a totally pleasant experience for him but it is a lot healthier for him not to have to be sedated of course.

The first couple of days after being shaved he is always a bit insecure so he seems to hang more closely. Maybe partly due to the fact that he has suddenly about 1/3 the body volume without his full grown coat but I think mostly because Cinta, our second cat, doesn't seem to recognize him and isn't so friendly for a day or two.

Last night in fact he slept between us on the bed for the first time instead of taking his usual place at the foot of the bed.

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September 23, 2209; home, Amsterdam @ 16.45 Oga had his six-month coat maintenance visit to the groomer yesterday. It was the first time that he was shaved and groomed without having to be put to sleep for an hour thanks to the skill and patience of the new groomer we found. According to the groomer it wasn't a totally pleasant experience for him but it is a lot healthier for him not to have to be sedated of course. The first couple of days after being shaved he is always a bit insecure so he seems to hang more closely. Maybe partly due to the fact that he has suddenly about 1/3 the body volume without his full grown coat but I think mostly because Cinta, our second cat, doesn't seem to recognize him and isn't so friendly for a day or two. Last night in fact he slept between us on the bed for the first time instead of taking his usual place at the foot of the bed.

Fashion Faux Pas or Not?

 September 22, 2009; Spuistraat 266, Amsterdam @ 15.20

Was running all over town today gathering some of the bits and pieces I need for my upcoming trip and I came across this fellow who didn't get the memo: "No white after Labor Day."

Elephant Parade Jackpot

 September 21, 2009; Museumplein, Amsterdam @ 15.45

As I was biking from the Leidseplein to the Albert Cuyp Market this afternoon I thought I would go via the Museumplein where one can always see lots of people hanging out, skateboarding in the half pipe, playing basketball and strolling. And all of a sudden I came across the single largest collection of elephant statues in the city's Elephant Parade. Without using the Elephant Parade map once, my meanderings have now brought me across almost 50 of the 100 elephant statues in the city-wide exhibit.

Headscarf Flash Mob Hits Amsterdam

 September 20, 2009; Dam Square, Amsterdam @ 17.00 - 17.05

Today as the nearby church tower sounded 5 PM, a small flash mob appeared on Dam Square to protest the €1,000 per year Muslim headscarf tax proposed this week by Geert Wilders, the leader of the Nethlerands' Freedom Party (which slowly but surely, given each subsequent initiative by Wilders,

could better be called the Dutch Supremacist Party). Wilders made his outlandish proposal during the week's annual parliamentary debate on the government's newly proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.

Twittelleh

This is too funny! I am also gonna give up my Twitter account and move over to Twittelleh!

The Elephant Parade Continues

Again today in my urban wanderings I came across four more of the hundred elephants that currently adorn our city.  See 'Elephant Parade' for the backstory.

  The first I have seen in black and white. Well I saw it in color but it is designed in black and white.

 

Unfortunate timing here with snapping the picture of the orange elephant. That's the problem with using my mobile with its tiny screen and not wearing my glasses. I just kind of aim and shoot and see later what I caught.

By the way, this is one of my favorites so far as it is inspired by or dedicated to HRH Queen Beatrix.

I am sure this woman was going to sit down and was not about to pass wind or defecate on this elephant as some protest against the monarchy. Although here in Amsterdam anything's possible.

Nieuwe Vaart

 

 September 18, 2009; Overhaalsgang bridge, Nieuwe Vaart canal, Amsterdam @ 13.50

When we took the cats to the vets on Monday I forgot their vaccination books so I went back today to get them filled in. I took the scenic route with the bike which led me over the small bridge over an out-of-use lock on the Nieuwe Vaart Canal. In days of yore this canal used to be important in the city's waterways but no more. Now it is just a lovely wide canal with houseboats on one side, an old windmill dating from the 18th century in the distance and on the right side, the city's oldest ships wharf, 'T Kromhout.

The windmill, De Gooyer, was used as a grain milling windmill. During WWII the citys residents got it working again for milling purposes as there was hardly any electricty.

The ships wharf,

My Thoughts on Rosh Hashanah 2009 - The Cosmic Cocktail

(Note: if you'd like some appropriate background music click here.) 

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, heralds the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe. These ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are a time of intense introspection as we contemplate our deeds in the year passed and according to tradition prepare ourselves for God's judgment.

Jewish tradition says that on Yom Kippur, God irrevocably seals our fate for the coming year in the Book of Life. As is recited in one of Rosh Hashanah's important prayers the Unetanah Tokef, "On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed."

It is in these 10 days of awe that we have the chance to intervene in the fate that God provisionally has in mind for us: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed." On Rosh Hashanah one could easily descend into total panic. "Oh my, look at this list of all the things I have done: the times I hurt someone's feeling, gossiped, lied, cheated, cut corners with my own morality, let others down, didn't do as much as I could have to help someone, didn't give as much as I should have to the poor and needy, didn't care as much as I should have about someone's welfare... And now only ten days to change my fate! How?!! How??!! How??!!!!"

Today's elephant photo safari

 September 16, 2009; Westerkerk, Amsterdam @ 14.30 Today in the asphalt jungle of the big city I came across six more of the hundred elephants that currently adorn our city. Perhaps tomorrow I will come across some more. See 'Elephant Parade' for the backstory.

 

The Elephant Parade

 September 15, 2009; Amstelveld, Amsterdam @ 16.15

Elephant Parade

As I biked through the center of town today I saw a colorful elephant statue with a tourist map as a design on the back. "Nice idea," I thought. A few streets later I saw three more elephant statues and I thought, "There must be something going on with all these elephants."

It seems that these elephant statues are part of an awareness and fund-raising project called Elephant Parade for the near extinct Asian elephant.

From the organization's website:

"From September onwards, a hundred full size art elephants will swarm the streets of Amsterdam: together, they form a remarkable open-air exhibition, the Elephant Parade, that is dedicated to the Asian elephant. After the successful editions in Rotterdam and Antwerp, the exhibition in Amsterdam will be the largest so far.

"The Elephant Parade is founded by father and son Mike and Marc Spits. With their project, they aim to raise attention for the Asian elephant, that is threatened with extinction. Their project has proven to be successful: the first two editions of the Elephant Parade, held in Rotterdam and Antwerp, raised a total amount of over 700,000 euro. The benefits of the Elephant Parade are donated to the Elephant Family, the largest elephant charity in the world and was founded in 2002 by Mark Shand. He is a globetrotter, philantropist and writer and maker of the BBC documentary Queen of the Elephants."

 Many of the elephants have been designed by well-known Dutch designers and other celebrities. They are on display at various locations throughout Amsterdam's city center until October 31. Between November 1 and November 12 they will be auctioned off and all funds raised will go to help the Elephant Family charity.

I would like to find the time in the coming weeks before my vacation to follow the route and photograph as many of the 100 elephant statues that I can.

At the Vet's

 Sept 14, 2009; Oostenburgergracht 183, Amsterdam @ 16.00

It was time today for Cinta (right) and Oga's (left) annual checkups and vaccinations. Oga is more difficult to get into the travel bag but once in stays quite still and chill. Cinta isn't so difficult to get into the box but once in she emits a constant low-volume short meow exactly every 1.5 seconds. Or so it seems.

The young doctors at Dierenkliniek Centrum-Oost (Animal Clinic Centrum-East) are really nice and good with cats. Both of ours got an A+ bill of health. Good coats. Good weight. Everything A-O-K.