cajón desastre or where is that ninja?

cross stitchy ninja

2012-01-28T23:00:00.001+01:00

Chatting to the boy, I mentioned I wanted to make something for a friend and cross stitching came into the conversation (I have been looking at cool patterns online). He just casually said there were probably enough programmes online to turn any pic or drawing into a pattern.

A couple of hours later... Voilà, he goes and sends me this. Superb.

http://patternsforyou.com/

random january pics cv

2012-01-25T23:08:00.002+01:00

Random and unedited telephotos taken in Bcn and A'dam in January.

Corner view away here.

sprouting the winter away

2012-01-23T22:53:00.004+01:00

I have just deleted a whole post. Hooray, let's start again.

Well, I suppose that was my cue to keep it short. Here it goes, a couple of homely pictures as I do not seem to be doing much lately.

It has been so rainy and windy that I have spent most of the weekend indoors. I have watched three films, roasted hazelnuts, re-potted my hollyhocks (in the hope they bloom this spring), had a (third!) go at thumbprint biscuits -still not very thumbprinty but less disastrous than the previous times, read lots of articles, listened to De Botton on Atheism while shaving my legs (sorry, true story), watched Ted Talks, accidentally deleted photos from the phone sd card (boo), read bits of books, cooked the above meal on Sunday evening (how cool is that view from outside the oven door!), wrote cards, surfed the wavy net and had a peek into all your lives. Then... Boom: Monday.
It must be winter.

I have joined these lovely two in their everyday life picture tour, I had already joined them on their what's in your bag blog tour some time ago. I do not "join" much (antisocial ninja), but I like those two unpretentious, rare, fun duo. Go on, I dare you to spot la ninja.

Lots of dragon talk on the Interwebs today. That boy reminded me of this one. Ta, pet.

ah. city love

2012-01-14T22:29:00.002+01:00

January, Barcelona-mon-amour. Skies and lights on poles.

ding-dong-sing-along cv

2012-01-11T10:03:00.003+01:00

I have gone for Mr. Harrison rather than Mr. Tennyson.

Too easy? Well, the below quote by Mr. Quoteskine totally describes the real (if not so ulterior) motives behind this post.

There. Happy NY. Again.
Corner View Central is this way.

pretty clumsy

2012-01-08T23:29:00.003+01:00

Luckily, the very creative syrup decided to form beautiful amber drops on the tablecloth. I marvel at anything, me.

Helloooo, it is 2012! There you go, the show must go on.

ending the year (nearly) with some sun...

2011-12-30T11:17:00.005+01:00

Deprived blog. Seriously deprived blog. Oh well, that is the way things go sometimes

However, we are (nearly) ending the year with some sun. Hooray. What a difference from the tons and tons of snow we had by now last year, will you look at those bikes!

We have had lots and lots and lots of rain lately, though. Furious rain. So much so, I was happily cycling on my brand new bicycle (I crashed the other one, another story, tra la la) yesterday evening, when all of a sudden it felt like someone was throwing gravel at my legs. WTF? That is what I thought in the split second it took for the heavens to open up and unleash hail, rain and hurricane force winds onto us, poor souls out on the street. Blawdy 'ell, properly soaked and pissed off ninja in five minutes, I am telling you.

So, here are some random shots of the last few days. A couple of tidy spots in the house: beautiful amaryllis the boy brought me, my home-made crimbo tree, the Amsterdam city walk cards I, wishfully thinking, took out the shelf last week (the weather decided otherwise, though, no stupid walks at the risk of either flying away or drowning.) There is also a very dark shot of one of the friends that comes begging for food every time I tie my bike to the rails on the canal and well, some ninja feet. Of course, ninja feet.

to a cool xmas and a chilled new year :)

2011-12-25T13:55:00.004+01:00

ace or what?

2011-12-05T00:33:00.006+01:00

Cycling past the same place at the park. Morning and evening.
Surreal lights. My phone does not actually do any justice to how amazing those floodlights looked through the trees. Unexpected urban magic.)

a different corner

2011-11-24T08:56:00.009+01:00

Not a different corner of the world as such (unlike our ~~cheating~~ travelling cv hostess), just a different view on the same city.

Basically, we haven't been able to see much of it the last few weeks. Fog, fogitty, fog fog.

Excuse the wonkiness of those last two batches. Just an illustration of the with/without fog effect.

the fog has taken over. again.

2011-11-21T09:54:00.003+01:00

You cannot see further than a hundred metres in front of you. However, a few weeks ago when it was not so cloudy white, I engaged in some serious countrysiding and fresh airing with some good people. Outside the city (!)

So, basically, in case you had not seen enough pictures of trees, leaves and general autumness going on on the Interwebs... Here you have some more.

where has the time gone?

2011-11-15T22:14:00.010+01:00

Who bloody knows. It is too dark and cold for me to get nostalgic, to be honest.

I just know I like these low resolution/low quality urban autumn evening pictures I snapped on my way to a friend's a couple of weeks ago.

Believe it or not, this is my half-arsed attempt at trying to join the ranks of cv this week.

icy flag

2011-11-01T08:00:00.005+01:00

This could be a flag, a beautifully textured one. It is obviously not, though.

ninja nonsense

2011-10-25T14:09:00.007+02:00

Via failblog.

Spotted on the shop window of loenatix in Amsterdam.

Fabulously silly video by Improv in Toronto found via wimp.

Big thanks to that boy for keeping us entertained by sending lots of fab ninja stuff this way.

whatever tickles your fancy

2011-10-19T22:26:00.005+02:00

Currently, my fancy is being seriously tickled by a mix of old and new urban landscapes in Barcelona (mon amour). Here is a little ninja walk.

More corner views at Francesca's. Go, go, go.

october cv

2011-10-11T23:34:00.000+02:00

Off for a bit so I am not sure I shall be having time to comment and stuff, but I had this sky pics worth sharing, I reckon.

Autumnal skies fab. Autumnal torrential rains... bah.

Check out all cvs here.

my big fat shiny cuke and grey floors

2011-10-09T12:02:00.002+02:00

So, bye bye Indian summer. If I may digress (we already start digressing and I do not even have a strong main subject to start with.) Francesca, thanks for asking, I had always assumed it was a British-coined term stemming from colonial times. Wrong. It seems to originate in the States and it refers to the "other" so accurately (not) called Indians. Wikipedia knows all. I should assume less. Wink double wink.

So... bye bye Indian summer. Hello Dutch autumn. There's a chill in the air and the city is cloaked in Grey (that of the capital G.) However, it is not only the skies that have turned grey. So has my... drum roll... balcony floor. Ta-da! I know, who gives a flying ****? Well, I do.
Let's digress again: I am extremely aware of the mundaneness of my posts. I had originally set off to tell everyone about extremely witty and clever stuff or, failing that, to show everyone extremely arty and quirky photographs. As it turns out, I am showing you my balcony floor and a fat cucumber. Live and learn, ei.

I am well chuffed with the result and well impressed with myself, if I may say so. I actually bought that paint approximately one and a half years ago, together with a brush and some evil product to scrub outdoor sort of floors and tiles. Slowly but surely I got there (I did not think I would ever do it.)

Last weekend, the last weekend of our Native American summer (we should really start calling it that were we to be politically correct, ha!), I decided to pull my sleeves, get some music on and paint away in the sun.

So, mundane or not, that has been my last week: fat cuke, empty balcony outside, full (of plants, pots and the like) living room inside and a two-day outing with lots of crazy (and whiny) teenagers and young adults. I had forgotten about the whole smuggling spirits into camp. Dra-ma, I am telling you. Hee hee.

So, without further ado (I do seriously digress and ramble on), pics:

How fat is that cucumber...

Some random pics taken last week. It is white-greyish and drizzling out there now. I shall just keep looking at these and reminiscing.

golden brown

2011-10-02T11:42:00.005+02:00

This sort of golden brown. Not the drug, not the song. This above.

We are enjoying a mad Indian summer (like many countries in the area*) and it feels fab.

Someone told me the other day we seem to be going the "tropical" way with our seasons: very cold winters, very (and I mean very) wet summers and fabulously mild and beautiful springs and autumns.

I am basically cycling around in tank tops and summer skirts and it really feels like summer (I had ice cream yesterday (lo and behold!) However, if you look down, it feels most definitely autumnal. Love these colours.

Bring it on, Indian summer in October. We are loving you here and shall miss you when you go. Many many thanks. We needed you before Grey (with capital G) enters.

(* I had originally written "most of Northern Europe" but Dorit's comment made me realise I am seriously far from living in Northern Europe (particularly compared to where Dorit lives). What I had originally written was not even inaccurate; it was bloody dim.)

CV note: I am not a heavy metal fan, nor do I listen to heavy metal at home.
However, I appreciate all kinds of good music (yes, I enjoy opera, blues, jazz, pop, rock...) This was good old school heavy metal, so I thought it funny for a cv post. I must say that, as I expected, some of your comments made me giggle (not that I am calling you predictable or anything, ha!)

music for your delicate ears

2011-09-28T19:34:00.003+02:00

I took this video about two centuries ago (in ninja years, that is.)

Okay, I have just checked and it was actually in June 2010. Mediterranean ninjas have a slight tendency towards exaggeration.

We went to see The Damned Things (a combo composed by previous members of Fall Out Boy + Anthrax + Every Time I Die.) It was free and we thought it would be fun. Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the main band at all but... I had the best of times listening to the band featured below. I had not heard such proper seriously-old-fashioned-heavy-metal-high-pitch-screeches (and I mean that in a complimentary way) in yonks.

Okay, you have been warned. It is loud, it is high-pitch and, to boot, the quality of the recording is crap. You really cannot complain, ei. Always quality at la ninja's.

Here's Three Inches of Blood (if the name does not say it all, I do not know what does.) Enjoy.

of veggies and feet. just because.

2011-09-26T11:01:00.009+02:00

Wildlife out on the balcony.

Cukes not in a hurry, not particularly faster than the speed of neutrinos (can you actually believe that?) However, there they are; coming along nicely. While those little toms are nearly done for the season, cukes are just starting out...

Oh yeah, sadly the once very promising radishes didn't make it in the end (serious bordeaux tints on the stems but yet, no produce) and neither did the strawberries develop any further. Oh well, it was a long shot in a pot on the balcony. That's why I'm so impressed with my stubborn cucumbers up there.

Indian summer, bring it on!

On another note: feet. Other than now and again updating my "ninja for all seasons" slide show on the right, last week I realised I had not been posting many ninja feet pics lately. To remedy that, here you have some ninja feet shots taken in Barcelona (mon amour) in July. Just because.

silly

2011-09-21T07:53:00.000+02:00

More silliness this way.

mad. pretty mad.

2011-09-17T21:21:00.000+02:00

Back to mad clouds it is. I just went up to the attic to take a couple of pics of the crazy sky.

On the way back down I slipped and fell down a few stairs (stupid ninja wearing socks and no slippers on a steep staircase). I have nothing but I'm basically too old to unexpectedly land on my bottom like that. I startle easily, people; I hope you appreciate the perils I undertake for you lot. Ha!

Anyway, look at this crazy city putting a show on just like that.

It is probably much more impressive in person, but I can tell you it was gorgeous. My random telephotony does not do those skies justice.

Just round the corner from here, they are working on the tram lines and one of the swing bridges is temporarily not being used. So, you know, you can just go and park your boat there. As you do...

Now off to a friends b-day. I shall probably get wet on the bike. Again.

Oh well, bruised derrière and drenched to the skin. Getting older graciously. Boom boom.

fabyssinia 3.0

2011-09-14T09:08:00.004+02:00

Iconic is the word. All "icon" pics taken in Ethiopia this August.

More iconic corner views at fuoriborgo et al.

indispensable

2011-09-07T23:53:00.003+02:00

Mad Amsterdam skies. We have some pretty grim weather. Often. Rather often.

However, mad skies like these above also abound. Northern skies made me giddy. They are indispensable to this ninja during long and windy cycle rides (all telepics taken yesterday on my ride back home from work.)

(The photographs are all wrong and wonky, I know. But... will you just look at those clouds!)

More corner views at Francesca's. Go. Go. Go. Now go sleep tight.

tiempo de tomates... y pepinos

2011-09-04T22:36:00.008+02:00

All right, peeps.
It has been a while since I last bored you with my little toms but... here we are again.
Ding dong. Tomato time.

Only, this "harvest" time round, I have also just spotted teeny tiny cukes under the big leaves and flowers of the cucumber plant.

I cannot believe it is working. Cucumbers growing on my balcony! (Even though, in my green-fingered enthusiasm, I nearly drowned them the other week upon coming back from hols.)

They have come a long way (here, here and here). They have.

Look at the little hairy buggers go. Yay.

Oh yeah, I still have to figure out what to do about the miniature olives...

ch-ch-ch-chaaaaanges

2011-08-31T23:19:00.005+02:00

Easy option. I am aware of it.
I had lots of ideas/photos to share. However, it is both late plus I am tired and do not want to go into trite territory (bound to happen, I am telling you.)
Therefore, easy option. Here you have young David.

I thought of him for obvious reasons but also because, just yesterday, I came across some fabulous, fabulous ilustration of another one of his hits by Andrew Kolb. You can download it for free on his website http://kolbisneat.com/spaceoddity.htm.

I am perfectly enamoured with the concept and result. Isn't it just delightfully right?

So, this is my entry for this week's corner view held at Francesca's (Ms. Hostess Extraordinaire), while Jane (Ms. Founder Extraordinaire) is off smelling the flowers, having a cv sabbatical or summat (something to do with bulls and stuff... funny girl that one, if you ask me.)

fabyssinia 2.0

2011-08-28T22:36:00.014+02:00

Some of the bounty brought back home.
Roar.

fabyssinia

2011-08-25T19:33:00.006+02:00

A couple of random unedited shots from the hundreds taken during my hols in Ethiopia.
Wonderful country, wonderful people.

Now back to reality. Bah.

erratic is the word

2011-07-31T23:13:00.016+02:00

So, erratic it is, and will continue to be. This ninja is no regular, organised, disciplined blogger. Oh well, no news there.

Cheers to the generous soul who gave me some book vouchers for my 40th b-day (at least, I assume they were for me; they were simply sitting around and it was my partee, so I took them.) I never had the chance to say thank you but I got myself a book called "Forty". How about that.

Look at the lovely flowers my future potential cucumbers were sporting a couple of weeks ago (they have more flowers now, but I have not taken any more pics.) Good sign, innit?

Also, those wooden boxes are temporary mini allotments of sorts (for what I can gather.) They have appeared on an empty plot pending development in the neighbourhood, together with a grassy play area. What a fantastic, green use of empty city space. Liking this urban farmers lark, if a tad enigmatic to me (stadsboeren.org)

Over and out. At least, until next erratic ninja brief.

p.s. The sign on the bookshop window reads something on the lines of "We strongly recommend you urgently read this book". Ha.

is la ninja watercolour-ish or just plain murky?

2011-07-22T14:01:00.003+02:00

According to this site, which I came across via this other one, the above are this blog's colours. Murky, I would say.

How are you all doing?

It looks like I may be able to make extra virgin olive oil, after all. Pics of incipient teeny tiny olives coming soon. The cucumber plant is also blooming. Hooray. Don't you just love it when you leave home for a few days and come back to flowers and stuff. Yes.

p.s. I also had to set a small colony of little flies free (don't ask, I don't know) but hey, no more mice. Setting up another cage in a minute, let's see how many are still scurrying around under the floor boards, the buggers.
It feels like National Geographic here, what with all the fauna and flora.

breast feeting and quite a bit of rain

2011-07-15T08:20:00.000+02:00

The following is a satellite impression of what was going around here yesterday evening. A fantastically stubborn cloud (über cloud), don't you find?

of blue rooftops and bike love

2011-07-12T08:33:00.003+02:00

Cycle home near the Amstel one evening.

Fab house Van Didden in Rotterdam (someone else's set on flickr here.)
Bike looooove.

a late box of tricks and growth. slowly but surely.

2011-07-03T22:10:00.001+02:00

Hullo everybody. I cannot believe I have missed this week's corner view! Hang, on, let me rephrase that... I have surely missed my good share of corner views over the years. I am pretty crap at continuity.

Right, that established, back to what I meant to say, which is that I cannot believe I missed this corner view in particular. I mean, box of tricks-cajón desastre. Potato-potato. Tomato-tomato.

Boo hoo. Silly ninja. Again, a stupidly overdue cv for this week. Adding insult to injury, I am also recycling an old post. An introduction to la ninja, a box of tricks, a lazy way out? Whatever you choose to make out of it. I am easy, like Sunday morning. Here: la ninja bloguera.

Right, onto greener pastures or, rather greener balconies (which I have just cleaned after weeks of neglect, rain and bleh weather.) Got a fright by a "giant" moth living behind some sticks and found a few rolled-up and dead caterpillars on the radishes. Is that a good sign?

A few more interrogatives (sorry, I know, long time no ninja and now here I am bombarding you with questions):

How long does it take a cucumber to actually grow?

Are those radishes ready at all?

Why are the bloody jays eating my strawberries? The bastards.

The olive tree has bloomed for the first time in about 4 years. (Hooray.) Do you reckon I shall be able to make extra vergine olive oil soon? Ha.
Last but not least... After all these years up North, will my feet ever tan again?

Have a lovely rest of Sunday, people of the Interwebs. At least those in my hemisphere and time zone. The rest of you, I hope you have had/will have a lovely one too. (What a malarkey this globalisation business is.)

on my wall

2011-06-18T00:00:00.000+02:00

Another late entry for cv this week.

Where is that ninja? Can you spot her?

no destination, cool floating music and a room with a view and a half

2011-06-12T18:09:00.004+02:00

This is one of the videos NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman shot while on board the ISS.
How cool is the whole setting... The fact they are never going anywhere in particular, the flying flutes (and hair, and hoop earrings), the bloody impressive cupola of the station (where she used to play), the fact that she might have been right above you when she rehearsed at night...

She should stop nicking everyone else's flutes, though.

I got this video from that boy last month as, one evening after rowing (yes, I am still rowing and starting to actually feel like I know what I am doing), we were having dinner on the river and he went: "there it is, look". He had already told me (I tend to not listen attentively at times) that, apparently, it would be very easy to spot the ISS above Amsterdam that evening. It was. A little bright spot flew from West to East up in the evening sky as we sat there sipping our drinks.

Digression: The weather has been absolutely amazing this spring. Dinner has been had al fresco on the Amstel river, more often than not, once a week after rowing. Look at these pics taken just before 10pm a few weeks ago.

I have now checked it out and, apparently, the ISS orbits the earth about every 90 minutes.

You can use this link to track and spot it (as well as other satellites) above you on a weekly basis.

Hooray. Space Ninja embracing new interests. Whatever keeps me away from essay-writing, like. Speaking of which... Ahem. See yas.

P.S. This is my cheeky, tardy and slightly off topic entry for corner view this week.

n is for ninja

2011-06-05T17:42:00.004+02:00

So, basically, last post was b is for birthday (revisited for a second time in the name of laziness) and I seem to have missed last corner view (ahem, a few more), coincidentally themed m is for...

To keep on this trend, I thought I would give you n is for ninja plus a few more random telepics taken lately both home and (not-so-far) away.
It is currently pretty manic in my head (the voices are back, yes) with course work and work-work. Therefore, n is also for not a lot of ninja activity around here.

N is one of my fab pressies. My b-day do came and went and it was great. 40? Bring it on.
Lots of people, lots of vodka tonic, lots of laughs, lots of lasses from Barcelona, lots of dancing, lots of goals from Barça... Lots of love and good stuff.
Now back to work (me, not you.)

b is for birthday. revisited ii.

2011-05-26T02:15:00.008+02:00

As already announced last year, here it is.

This is a big 'un. The big Four O. Woo hoo.

in da summer, in da city...

2011-05-09T08:14:00.003+02:00

I love it when buildings eat up boats. That was a massive one, though. *Burp*

I shall be celebrating my birthday on that very (pontoon) terrace in a few weeks. Yay.

They keep saying the rain is a-coming but it does not quite. We need rain. Big time.

Most of us do not look forward to it. Seriously needed, though. I know the farmers are with me.

the art of procrastination and massive cucurbits in the making

2011-05-06T11:03:00.008+02:00

My middle name is Crastination, Pro Crastination. I like that. I read it somewhere a while ago and it stuck. (It's not mine, no credit taking when it's not due. Contrary to common belief, ninjas are honest and fair beings.)

Anyway, I shall not get into details (ninjas are also rather reserved) but it seems the more time I have, the less I achieve. I have been perfecting procrastination forever. I excelled at it at university, when I used to have chats with the Head of the Department about writer's block, Joseph Conrad, writing essays in English as a foreigner, whatever... My mates could not believe I managed to get an extension for every-single-essay I had to hand in. I always celebrated by going out and procrastinating some more. Of course.

Well, peeps, if you are reading, I am still crap or, rather, pretty good at it. So, without further ado, here is a procrastinating post on green stuff. See? I told you, anything but writing a report (or the three I am already behind with. Tra la la la la.) Oh yeah, I also bought a beautiful old wardrobe and have decided to organise the house (it used to be redecorating my student room back then, it is redecorating my whole apartment right now.) Same old pattern. Pathetic and weak. Boo hoo.

Right, self-therapy session over (sorry, needed to, I'll go back to jolly superficial now), quickly onto green stuff and then work. Yay... not. (Or in true, if a tad trite, Conradian fashion: The horror, the horror... not that I exaggerate or anything.)

On another note, I am having a sort of green boo-boo moment.

I have realised the whole growing cucumbers on the balcony may not actually be such a good idea. My mum told me on the phone last week and someone had already mentioned it before... Those babies crawl on the ground and grow in vines. I knew that (didn't I?) So, what the ding dong (ramalamadingdong) was I thinking of? Oh well...

First stop is re-potting the cukes and the radishes (this weekend). But, to make matters more interesting, I have also heard from friends -the ones who gave me the tomato plant last year, have a garden and seem to know what they are doing, that I have been a crazed carried-away green ninja and should NOT have just used up all the seeds in one go. I have to replant them individually now, sprout by sprout, and that's going to be a pain and a half.

Oops. Again. I hope I don't kill too many.

Here they are. Pics starting last week. Last one taken just now and those cucurbits are pressing on now. Winning hands down.

I have now added strawberries to the lot (mini clay pot in the middle.) If I'm starting a whole bleeding allotment on the balcony, I might as well do it properly and make the bugger collapse. Ha.

p.s. For some serious green-fingered action and already edible radishes, have a look at this professional outdoorsy one doing her thing.

painting the town orange

2011-04-30T10:03:00.000+02:00

Orange, orange, orange is the colour. Hip hip hip... hoera!
It's Koninginnedag here today and I'll be off shortly to join the madness. From atop a boat.

pressing on...

2011-04-28T21:51:00.003+02:00

Radishes to the right... Stand up and salute.

Cukes to the left... Whatever.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Right, I don't normally interact much through questions and stuff but I have been meaning to ask this for a bit: What the hell do you lot do with comments? Is there a commentiquette at all?

The reason I ask is because I am rather flaky and even though I read every single one of them, I do not often reply. I have also noticed that barely no-one (and I am including me) goes back to see whether a conversation has started. Ever.

Answers on a postcard, please. Cheers.

what's for lunch?

2011-04-27T07:46:00.004+02:00

Yes. What IS for lunch?

This is not my kitchen counter but one I totally, totally love.

Do you see that very handsome oil container? I bought it myself as a present and I have serious anti-drip oil container envy now.

It is a well-known Catalan design (by Rafael Marquina) and I seriously need one for my kitchen. Next time I go home, I am getting myself one too. Lunch has to be well-dressed ;)

What is for lunch, then? Dunno. Not my kitchen.

Lots of corner views somewhere over here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was my corner view, which I had ready last week, one week early. Basically because I cannot read and because I have the attention span of a mosquito. It said clearly on Francesca's post. Oh well.

However, this week you get the original corner view plus some free ninja sprouty and springy silliness. Both literally as well as figuratively.
Here goes:

What had I told you; both spring-like and stretchy at once (plus some blurry pics to boot.)

I noticed something going on in that right container when I entered the room and, upon inspection, it was clear my seedlings were making the earth move. Some feisty little contenders we have there. Hooray.

I had obviously covered the radish seeds with far too much soil and they were pushing it up (green-fingered ninja, not.) As it happens, I had also forgotten to label them, so it is good to see who is living where.

Cucumbers seem to be a tad cooler (how else could it be, ei?) However, I had a peek and they will hopefully be joining their neighbours soon enough.

So, what's for lunch? Radish-cucumber salad, anyone?

feet

2011-04-20T09:09:00.001+02:00

So, I thought I'd be good and post for cv this week.

Veni, vidi, vici. I wrote, I pasted, I posted... and I'm a week too early. Boo hoo.

Oh well, I'm here now, about to leave the house but I give you... FEET. As you do.

Long time no feet*, so there.

*Long time no feet in a post. They are all there, on your right. Being randomly updated on my "a ninja for all seasons" silly little slideshow.

we heart randomness

2011-04-16T23:57:00.005+02:00

We also heart this video from the random ninjas. Yay.

That boy shared it with me. He found it through kickstarter, a site my invisible friend* doctor J recommended I, in turn, shared with that boy for his projects.

Randomness all round. Viva.

* People one hasn't actually met in real life, but has befriended online. Nicked (I mean, borrowed) from this ladee.

the (evening) blue hour

2011-04-15T09:53:00.003+02:00

I enjoy my spring evenings. Oh, I bloody do.

This week, I have met a lovely blogger from faraway parts.

(As in far away to mine, of course. It's all a question of perspective and relativity, time and space, existence and causality. In short, metaphysical palaver. Short? Shortish. Francesca, anything to add?)

More about that soon(ish).

(As in writing about the lovely blogger from faraway parts and her visit to da 'Dam; not my inability to keep sentences short and/or the metaphysical character of everything, that is ;P)

Ninjaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

time

2011-04-06T08:57:00.002+02:00

Olafur Eliasson
May 2008, MoMA, NY

This week's cv theme is time

mirror, mirror on the wall...

2011-04-01T19:44:00.005+02:00

So, where's that ninja?

Wee bit late with a reflection post for this week's cv as per usual. Here's a few (obviously unedited) telephotographs taken in Barcelona two years ago (it was January, but look... no coats on!)

I thought I had lost them when my previous laptop died... I cannot tell you the joy that just invaded me upon finding them in a (true to its name) cajón de sastre folder full of all sorts of random pics. Ah, the joy of small things and superficial ninja priorities...

Let's all rejoice and have a fab w-end, should we? Hell yeah.

up the creek without a paddle

2011-03-30T12:00:00.021+02:00

This was the river last Wednesday morning on my way to work. I thought to myself "Ideal for a first rowing lesson. Ahem. Not."

However, at some point it started clearing out and we enjoyed a beautiful, even balmy evening during the lesson.

I didn't do anything too stupid either. I reckon I may actually enjoy this and, at some point, I may even get reasonably decent at it.
The moment my limbs start working as a team. Tra la la la. Ninja power.

and off we go...

2011-03-21T22:53:00.001+01:00

Let's grow, grow, grow.
Oh, 21st of March, how have I longed for thee. About bloody time you came round too.

Thanks a bunch for the card, Missy. It arrived bang on time. Raaaaaaaa.
Yes, definitely.

monty python's international philosophy

2011-03-19T23:17:00.003+01:00

Well... that (which, in itself, is more than enough to make my and everyone else's weekend.)
That and the fact I have hung the wash outside to dry, for the second weekend in a row. Major development in favour of everyone's mental health around these here parts. Totally.

"most men..." says pien

2011-03-12T15:09:00.005+01:00

Miss Pienduzz has a rad series going on called "Most men bring flowers", which I already referred to last week, on my kitchen tap post. I have now realised she was, in turn, referring to Jane's post here.

Not sure about "most men" actually bringing flowers, but analysing the cliché would be a totally different post. What I know is that Pien's brings her cow tongue, fungus, a dead grouse or even a pony (the latter alive and kicking); while Jane's brings her jamón serrano. Ole y ole.

There have been a few occasions when I have thought of this series and the below was one of them.
I am really, speedy ninja, you see. I took the below pics in June 2010. Tra la la.

Last year, one day in June, I got home to find this fabulous combo: gorgeous flowers (anyone knows the name of this sort?) and a sealant gun. Hooray! All a lass needs, really.

The top bit of the living room windows was duly ninja-sealed.

However, the flowers actually faded changing colour quite quickly. Does any of you flower connoisseurs have any idea of the reason why? (I'm thinking Francesca or Malo here, but... anyone?) They were absolutely beautiful but a tad delicate.

Oh yeah, all that whining and moaning about the weather has been heard and listened too.
The sun is out. It is proper warm, no gloves, no scarf. Woo hoo. I have hung the washing outside, have all windows and doors open (bit carried away, I know) and I am listening to Elvis Presley full blast. Woo hoo. Again. And again: Woo hoo.

Off to the streets to bask in the sun now. See yas.

the woody blues

2011-03-10T20:45:00.002+01:00

Late and knackered. Story of my life lately.

However, I am here and in good spirits. That is the other side of the coin, in the story of my life lately. At least we are trying.

Lots of woody action taking place on the canal a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, all the wood came from the trees being chopped off during works on the street.

Totally heart-breaking seeing them go but, appartently, they were ill and some young ones will be planted to replace them.

Bring on the young trees and that bloody spring, then. It is raining cats and dogs out there right now.

So. Wood. That was corner view's theme this week. cv over here.

moving through water and basket tattoos

2011-03-06T20:46:00.003+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this while cycling back from work over the river Amstel. I thought to myself: "I would totally love to do that".

Well, I have been to a try-out rowing lesson (at the municipal rowing club) this afternoon and, I am telling you, I am utter pants.

Regardless of my inabilities, I have decided to enrol for a short beginners course anyway; on a four-person boat. I was originally thinking of a one-person (plus instructor); however, I was rubbish enough having to deal with just the one oar, let alone two. That would be too big a challenge for this ninja. Basic limb coordination seemed to be challenging enough.

Right, so I did not take any pics for obvious reasons (I was too busy getting myself tangled in a hem-of-jacket-end-of-oar affair) but it has been a gloriously sunny day. I feel all rosy-cheeked and knackered. (The latter has more to do with antisocial neighbours who need proper sorting out. But that is, altogether, a completely different kettle of fish, really.)

Plan was going to the temporary exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum afterwards, but I will go later on this week. I will also be posting some photographs of last year's temporary exhibition soon. With all the shots I take at museums and galleries, I should start a regular section or something.
The Stedelijk building has been closed for renovation for about eight years (!) now, so we are all chuffed with these temporary gigs/peeks.

On the cycle back home I "did" take some pics, though. Basket stocking tattoo. Viva el sol.

there's a posh tap on my kitchen counter

2011-03-02T22:50:00.008+01:00

Yup. A brand new tap (last year's b-day pressie from that boy) just arrived. This evening.

We defo are quick (I was born in May) and romantic around these here parts.

Seriously, the thing is shiny and fab and I love it. Plus, you know, just like a diamond, this one's forever.

Late and poor cv but I'm in bed, knackered and typing on a phone to boot. Woo hoo. Ninja moderna.

Oh yeah, this is my entry to this week's cv, currently hosted by Miss Francesca, Hostess Extraordinaire.

However, I would like to link to Miss Pienduzz and her Most men bring flowers series here (particularly this one, which had me chuckling at the time.) I thought of her while typing this post (I still have another one on this subject saved somewhere, as a draft. It has been there for, well, a while. I shall try to dust it out of its lethargy this week.)

table of elements

2011-02-24T13:12:00.003+01:00

My boy builds coffins. Not really, that's Florence's boy.

Mine builds tables, sinks and other cool stuff. Check out his website.

Table of Elements is a design of his up for voting at stylefactory at the moment.

The way it works is you click on "Make it" and, should he get enough votes, his table goes into production. How very bloody exciting is that. I shall tell you how: very.

You have to create an account, i.e. giving an e-mail address, but they do not spam, it is just to avoid bots, etc.

Only six days left to vote. I am not good at pushing and that is why it has taken me forever to post about it here. I did not want this blog to turn into a promotional site plus there is the whole privacy thing too...

But, you know what. Sod all that. His table is bloody fab. If I do not support it, who will, ei?

The second and third pics are the prototype he has been using for months at his place. I have eaten, written and read the paper on that table and it is a fine piece of furniture. The simplicity of it is just great. I want one.

So, lovely people of the Interwebs. Would you help him get it made? Muchas gracias.

You can read more about the specifics in the links I am providing you with at the end.
The table is a very green design, assembly is easy, has been cut out of a single sheet of mdf and is very affordable. What else can you wish for.

Link extravaganza: voting at stylefactory, designer bio at stylefactory, his own website and the articles/features at designspotter and plusmood.

bliss

2011-02-18T20:41:00.002+01:00

I had to post this. Lots of music here this week, I know. But I've got such a soft place in my heart for this lot.

PJ's new album is out too -I am on the verge of imploding with musical joy this week, but I shall contain myself and not post any more videos.

your lights are still on and you are still not home

2011-02-15T23:05:00.003+01:00

Her rendering of this song is just delightful. I am a massive fan so perhaps slightly biased. Still, the woman is good.

Nearly a year ago (to the day), I wrote a post mentioning this very song. Freaky, really.

Oh well, ninja powers, I suppose.

these ninja feet are made for walking

2011-02-12T13:18:00.010+01:00

Last week, IFFR in Rotterdam.

Standing on a volcano in gale-force winds (that boy is tutting as he reads; I seriously did his head in moaning about the wind), hence the fluttering of my trousers and the blurred pic.

Standing next to a knitted handrail. Knitted handrails and lampposts, perfect for the winter, I find.

Admiring that boy's new pet. His fab shiny Roomba. You can spend countless minutes just looking at it, following it, playing obstacle with it... All very productive and mature, of course.

I'm warning you we are taking a turn to the superficial (this blog is, otherwise, always so very deep) and the consumerist this very second.

This next pic is my new obsession. I saw this very pair of trainers at a department store last month and totally digged them. Only they did not have my size (they are men's) so I decided to look for them elsewhere. However, lo and behold, they seem to have vanished from the face of the earth. Either that or they were just a figment of my imagination.

My good friend E (many of my friends are, somehow, called E), who works at that very swooshy corporation, was sent on a mission. To no avail. Meanwhile, combing the Interwebs, I have found myriads of wonderful variations of the same model. All apparently special editions and also impossible to get. Great. However, and funnily enough, I have not even managed the one hit in this colour combination. You see, I am very partial to the sole being the same shade of the leather (as opposed to white.)

So, my question to you helpful people of the Internet is... Have you seen this trainer?

were (s)he to be a ninja, it'd just work without gimmicks

2011-02-04T09:40:00.000+01:00

der himmel über barcelona

2011-01-29T09:56:00.008+01:00

How very Goya (insert alternative Dutch, Italian, Flemish Old Master of choice) are those skies. So very dramatic and dark. Love them.

Now, the same spot but showing street lamps and apartment blocks; definitely much less 18th century. However, I somehow reckon Don Francisco would have approved of those clouds.

Even though I'm glad I'm getting a new phone soon, I'm definitely going to miss this trusty little one's camera.

This were taken outside my bro's apartment in Barcelona exactly a month ago (between Xmas and New Year, which seems like yonks ago.)

I'll also post more Berlin pics soon (hence, the title reference.) That's another trip that seems to have taken place months and months ago. Bah. January. Bastard.

Update - I've just realised (Tuesday 1st February, late evening) that this post can double up as evening skies cv this week. Double somersault in the air.

the sun came out and the chicks danced

2011-01-21T19:39:00.001+01:00

Will you look at that chick basking in the sun. Oh joy!

Everyone in Northern Europe seems to have ever-so-briefly been sun-kissed this week. I've spotted blog posts left, right and centre with titles such as sun, clear skies, light... You get the gist of it.
We had all been seriously looking forward to it. With a hungry passion.

Not long enough to make me start worshipping Belenus, Ra or Deus Sol Invictus. However, it has made me happy, I have been cycling every day and my cough is getting better. Hooray.

There. I said it. This ninja is briefly joining the predictably happy blogger army, stationed around this neck of the woods.

Therefore, and obligingly, I should give you sunny shots -which is what one obviously does in these cases. However, mine are a tad poor. So, forgive the in-motion-phone-quality.

Taken on my cycle to/from work the last couple of days. Chickens and roosters included.

That lump up there is two roosters on a tree. Not sure you can see them. Not sure what on earth they were doing up there either. They were all as excited about the blue skies as us, blogging folk.

Oh yeah. Flowers! Eggs! Those have also made me smile lately.

There. Now I am properly girly blogger material. Proper proper: I give you skies, flowers and food pics. How about that.

Were I to wish you a good weekend... Would that be over the top?

a spot of duck spotting (sorry...)

2011-01-16T23:46:00.008+01:00

My sources and fellow duck spotters (aka that boy) inform me that tufted ducks have been spotted elsewhere in smaller canals in the city.

Further investigation into the matter, as well as graphic evidence, will hopefully follow shortly. Stay tuned for this riveting new saga at la ninja's. Ha.

Note: Photo sent in by a faithfull reader.

winter in berlin - cv

2011-01-11T23:28:00.006+01:00

Ah, winter. Aren't we all over and done with it? Away with the whole slippy mess.

Bye bye slush, ice, slippery streets, glazed frost in the morning. Bye bye being black and blue. Bye bloody bye.

Anyway, a couple of unedited Berlin winter pics. Totally love 'em all.
Does anyone recognise anything at all? Wink. Nudge.

Psst. Can you spot the Fernsehturm on pics 4 and 5? European landmarks seem to have been playing hide and seek lately.
Paris, December 2010. Where's top of the Tour Eiffel? That plus more winter pics from da Dam from last month, which could work for cv just as well.

the tufted ducks are back!

2011-01-08T13:07:00.003+01:00

I thought I would let you know... Aware as I am, though, that such a thrilling occurrence is, most probably, of no interest to anyone else (but the water bird-spotters in this household.)

Last year, they just appeared out of the blue one day. Then disappeared again the exact same way (surprise, surprise, as migratory birds do.) The thing is I had never seen them before in Amsterdam. More people in the neighbourhood seemed to have spotted them and random conversations over ducks were had by the canal. Officially getting older.

They are gorgeous, round and fluffy, smaller than your common duck around here. They love to dive, blue bill first, very amusing to watch.
Welcome back tufted ducks. Hooray.

Note: This picture has been 'stolen' from the Interwebs (no way our canal waters are this blue.)

Should I manage to take some decent shots with the phone, I'll try and post them here.

starting the year with a bang (or two)

2011-01-03T22:07:00.009+01:00

Weihnachten ist toll :)* says Mathilda.

I am positive it is. What I know for sure is that New Year is definitely fun in Berlin.

We started the new year with a bang (and you will have to excuse the pun, no way to avoid it, really), i.e. in the midst of one of the biggest fireworks extravaganza in Europe, Unter den Linden.

Truth is this ninja does not even enjoy fireworks that much.
Chicken ninja. Cheep cheep.

Bang number two was this morning. Proper beginning of the "real" year.

I read it was verraderlijk glad**. Still got on the bike, cycled carefully but, lo and behold, about twenty minutes later... Bang. On the floor. Bruised knee, embarrassment, metro.
Clumsy ninja. Boo hoo.

It is just a scratch and a bruise and I am perfectly fine. However, that is no way to land (knee first) back into reality. After two great weeks away (Barcelona + Berlin, telepics to follow), there was absolutely no need for that, thank you very much.

Well, hello 2011. Gentler treatment, please. Ta.

* Christmas is nice ** treacherously slippy

long time no ninja. but hey... holidays. yay.

2010-12-18T12:51:00.002+01:00

Long time, no ninja indeed. But here I am. Ta-da.
Tired, sleepy and potentially snow-bound but here. Ta-da (again.)

I have been out and about quite a bit these last few weeks. Home and away. Even though it has all been lovely, I am sort of still catching up with my ninja shadow (which keeps scurrying away from me and being all over the place these days.) All is well, just a bit tired. Good tired, though. "¡Hola!"

Right, I'm supposed to be flying shortly. However, we have been covered in snow here for a couple of days, which somehow messes up with the trains no end. Flights too but I'm more confident on that one (yesterday's massive snow storm is over.) I have checked and nearly all flights to the UK, Ireland, parts of France and Germany have been cancelled. The sun is shining here so I reckon the problem is at their end. Let's cross fingers and toes Barcelona is lovely and sunny and landable. Then again, Spanish air controllers have been on and off strike the last few weeks. One just cannot win, can one? Fingers and toes crossed again. La ninja against the elements (and we are not very good at that, think Spanish Armada) and the pissed-off air controller guild.

This boring weather-related-travelling-paranoia has been triggered by recent experiences. I was in Paris last week for a two-day school trip and we were caught in the worst slushy snow storm in the universe (boots and three pairs of socks wet... that sort of slushy.) Apart from cold, wet and miserable (Eiffel Tower partly closed due to mist, hail, snow, slush, strong wind... you name it), traffic was a nightmare. We managed to pull into Amsterdam at 4:30am on a cold Thursday morning. Lovely.

Two weekends before that, I was in Sheffield visiting friends. I was lucky to only have suffered a couple of hours delay on the way back. However, it was the start of the messy weather, really.
The views from the plane on the way there were really really lovely. It had just started snowing in The Netherlands, but the UK was already under a good blanket of the white stuff.

In between all that, another weekend of suffering cold, wet slushy snow being stuck in the middle of nowhere, while going to visit family in Holland went by. So, last weekend was mostly spent watching films indoors. I watched old stuff (The Big Sleep), lots of Green Wing extravaganza and ate popcorn.Bliss. Indoors. Warm. Pyjamas. Blisssssssss.

Now I'm off to sunnier parts again and have decided to spend New Year's Eve in an even colder city than da Dam. So... Let the travel begin. Again.
Good luck to all of those (potentially) stranded around the Xmas hols. All the best. Keep smiling and stay warm. I am trying. Hard.

Merry everything, ninja readers (whoever and wherever you are, and whichever your reasons to read this stuff and watch these pictures are... Much appreciated, honestly.) Have a good 'un, all of you.

different perspective

2010-11-24T21:21:00.003+01:00

Bit of a busy (home and away) week but I thought I'd post this for cv anyway.

Only, I will not have the time to do the rounds at all. Next time, ei.

* Pics taken back in April somewhere at a Belgian/French petrol station on our way to the Alps. You can see what it is, can't you?
Totally love the angle and the colours (as well as the blurry quality effortlessly achieved with the old trusty mobile.)

stinking cold 1 - fab documentary 0

2010-11-19T23:04:00.007+01:00

I just realised I have missed the screening in Amsterdam of Feist's "Look at What the Light Did Know" this evening. All because of the silly cold and the sensible staying home policy. Boo hoo. I was really looking forward to watching it. Oh well...

Luckily, though, I managed to get tickets for Spike Lee's talk next month. Result.

anything goes or the only way is up, "a la catalana"

2010-11-17T22:35:00.016+01:00

Plan was writing a long hilarious post (being this my theme of choice and all), but this ninja has managed to get the best cold of the season so far. Achoo. Bloody 'ell. Third time this year.

Anyway, I have had this video up my sleeve for a bit planning on posting it at some point. Well. Point. Reached.

Castellers have been added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is just yabadabadoo.
Will you look at those colours. Ha.

"Spain - Human towers - Castells are human towers built by members of amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivities in Catalonian towns and cities. The traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony. The human towers are formed by castellers standing on the shoulders of one another in a succession of stages (between six and ten). Each level of the tronc, the name given to the second level upwards, generally comprises two to five heavier built men supporting younger, lighter-weight boys or girls. The pom de dalt – the three uppermost levels of the tower – comprises young children. Anyone is welcome to form the pinya, the throng that supports the base of the tower. Each group can be identified by its costume, particularly the colour of the shirts, while the cummerbund serves to protect the back and is gripped by castellers as they climb up the tower. Before, during and after the performance, musicians play a variety of traditional melodies on a wind instrument known as a gralla, setting the rhythm to which the tower is built. The knowledge required for raising castells is traditionally passed down from generation to generation within a group, and can only be learned by practice."

The new additions are wonderful and include (amongst many others) the Mediterranean diet, Croatia's gingerbread, Spain's Flamenco, Korea's Daemokjang traditional wooden architecture, Japan's Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatre, falconry, the gastronomic meal of the French... I am loving this "intangible cultural heritage" category. Intangible. Fabulous.

P.S. One of my bestest friends, E alias Topo, just posted about this yesterday too. Plus she seems to have also gotten herself a champion cold. Raaaaa. Connected in the distance or what. Should you be able to read Spanish, just head this way.

For more random corner views, get yourselves over here.

last of the summer vine

2010-11-13T12:54:00.003+01:00

Last pics of the toms, I promise.
Well, this is it, really. These are the last of the crop, so I have no choice but to leave both them and you well alone... Until next year, that is.

This city ninja had no idea she could have so much fun growing cherry tomatls home. Hooray. Live and learn.
Now I'm off onto the grey streets to just aimlessly cycle about, enjoy the city buzz on a Saturday afternoon and do a few errands. All before I jump on a train to meet some lovely ex colleagues I haven't seen (one of them at least) in about 10 years.

Woo hoo. Not bad for a grey November Saturday, I'd say.

Et voilà, les toms. Last suicidal action earlier this week, and what the plant is looking like these days (about to be moved back out onto the balcony, where it belongs.)

half past tree

2010-11-10T10:51:00.009+01:00

Look at me. Aren't I being a good ninja and playing along with all the rest of my fellow corner viewers.

I am rather surprised myself as I thought I would not have the time, energy or will to. However, I seem to be doing all right.
(Basically, I have another 20,000 more important things to do. Procrastination is the word, as per usual.)

But to the point, ninja. Autumn.

1. Pic taken on 12th October when it was all still lush and green.

2. Photo opp totally missed when it was all gorgeous, yellow and gold.

I thought about it every morning last week on my cycle to work but it was wet, grey and windy and I am always in a rush in the mornings.

3. Off to Barcelona for a long weekend and a wedding party. It was superb, yes.

4. Back this week to find the below. Pic taken on 8th November.

So, I totally missed the middle shot in the sequence, which shows how quickly we are entering serious winter territory.
It does not wait for anyone, people. El que no corre vuela, mutha'uckers.

Go on, bonus shots. Autumn skies in Amsterdam and Barcelona. Guess which one is which?

PS - People, Theresa has an updated (and much shorter) list of everyone taking part in cv.

famous kiss with a twist

2010-11-03T19:21:00.004+01:00

Famous Delft blaauw kussend paartje (Delftware Kissing Couple) reworked by Hollandsche Waaren inside a beautiful bowl.

Look carefully at the pics and you will see all kinds of couples. Not necessarily your traditional girl-boy or boy-girl one. Ha! Famously Dutch.

Note: Updated cv list to be found on T's sidebar.

castanyada

2010-10-31T21:28:00.001+01:00

This is the traditional celebration this weekend where I come from. During la castanyada you eat panellets, moniatos (sweet potatoes), and castanyes (chestnuts). I really hope it doesn't get lost or taken over by other festivities.

Would eat me a warm moniato right now...

you say tomato, I say tomatl

2010-10-29T01:30:00.006+02:00

Still at it. The ones I've had so far were delish. Tra la la.

Origin: Alteration of earlier tomate, from Spanish, from Nahuatl tomatl. First Known Use: 1604. (Merriam-Webster)

Not just potatls we plundered, you see. Tomatls too.

pondering...

2010-10-27T12:24:00.012+02:00

... about what to post on the concept of "pondering", I stumbled across this video yesterday evening.

It made me ponder AND wonder what those nutters where all doing there at the same time.

You just have to love Prince, don't you? Totally bonkers but extremely talented.

I was a massive fan in the late 1980's. Ninja Teenage Love (shocking revelation, not.)

Not much pondering back then, just jumping into things head first. The way it should be.

Viva cv temporarily hosted by miss t.

Note to the Netherlands Crew. I'm planning on going down to the DDW in Eindhoven tomorrow (Thursday 28th.)
Should you happen to be around, just drop me a line. It'd be fab to grab a coffee. Bit last minute, I know. How very ninja of me...

holiday in the ukraine - cv

2010-10-20T15:06:00.004+02:00

Random unedited holiday shots taken in the Ukraine last August, including watermelons.
Always handy, massive cages to lock your watermelons at night.

peekaboo

2010-10-15T21:55:00.002+02:00

I wonder where the country's gone...

mate, just relax...

2010-10-13T18:22:00.006+02:00

... or "Mens, erger je niet", which is the very appropriate Dutch name for Ludo, Parcheesi, Parchís (and literally translates as "Man, do not get irritated".).

Very appropriate indeed. People get extremely irritated while playing it. Particularly when a ninja wins hands-down a couple of times in a row, without even bothering to concentrate on the game much. Apparently, she's more interesting in building a perfectly balanced stage of sorts for the winner; i.e. for herself. Mwah ha ha ha.

See? Everyone's a winner. Chill, will ya?

orange moustache

2010-10-06T11:36:00.004+02:00

My contribution to both this and last week's cv chosen by Cate. Two for the price of one to stop you from complaining.

one tomato, two tomatoes, three tomatoes, four

2010-09-26T00:46:00.016+02:00

The tomato plant has been moved indoors. It is in the kitchen now and hopefully those little tomatoes can keep growing now they are more sheltered. I am determined to make myself a bloody salad this autumn (and as I have to walk sideways in that kitchen now, they better be worth it.)

What gave me hope was that the suicidal tomato has been changing colours. I just left it on the windowsill and, much to my amazement (and the amusement of friends who came over for dinner), it is red now. I was informed that of course it has ripened; same thing that happens with fruit and veg you buy a bit on the green side at the shops. Those have also been picked prior to their ideal consumption time and keep ripening while on the move in their crates, at the greengrocer's, at home in my fruit bowl. Do'h. Stupid ninja.

Anyway... The mini tomato saga continues. Watch this space (should you be into this sort of nonsensical waste of your time, that is.) Ta.

wafer-thin mint (and lazy cv)

2010-09-20T22:27:00.009+02:00

Before the hols, after trying (to no avail) to get through to the Embassy of Ukraine, I just decided to go and check their website. I found the English button (Cyrillic is very pretty but of no much use to me), and my eyes immediately moved towards the last quote from an article on Kiev "As Warm Chestnuts Embrace you…" Loved it

I decided to machine-translate the original Cyrillic sentence again (just for kicks, I had time, too much of it.) What I got this time round was "Once in Brown Embrace, Let Yourself..." I pissed myself laughing and gave up. The latter was by no means as poetic as the former but we were entering seriously wrong innuendo territory. I thought, Ukraine, here we come.

The above was our very first contact with Ukrainian English. On the plane on our way to Kiev. How wonderful is that.

Later on we came across the correct but much less amusing version of the peppermint-flavoured toothpick.

(P.S. This is not meant as a mockery against anyone or anywhere in particular.
I just love my c.k. watt-type boo boos. I also just read cv's theme this week is "humour" (a bit erratic on the old cv, as you know), so hey, click on that last link, if you wish.)

I hate...

2010-09-11T17:03:00.003+02:00

...coughing my lungs out.

(come on, it has been a whole week now. I really could
use one decent night sleep, as well as both my lungs. ta.)

a-ranting & a-moaning
-an increasingly random series that will captivate the hearts of young and old alike-

back to school cv

2010-09-08T20:26:00.003+02:00

Hey, cv is back and for once I have decided to join in.

I hesitated about it, to be honest, as I do not do personal stuff on this blog (not much, at least.)
But... What the hell, let's throw caution to the wind and write something slightly private. Woo hoo, brave or what!

After a few months thinking about it, I have landed myself a job as English teacher at a vocational school in Amsterdam. It is going to be a challenge and a half, to say the least, but hey, so far so good. Kind of. Ahem. Lots to learn, but I will survive.

There. How is that for a back to school post, then?

Here is a pic of Miss Ninja (or should I say Juffrouw Ninja?) waiting for the metro last week.

Oh yeah, and that Jane is off again. A jet setter that one. Honestly... I do not know.

ukrainian feet. well, mine, actually.

2010-09-05T19:31:00.003+02:00

Taken in Kiev, Yalta, Balaklava and Odessa respectively. This is the silliest kind of narcissism. Totally cheesy. Love it.

More from the mobile phone coming up soon (beware) showing more locations. Also introducing the switch from much-loved but seriously-manky plimsolls to new, more ergonomic and less stinky sandals (bloody fascinating my shoes, innit? I think so too.)

dancing raisin and suicidal tomato

2010-08-30T19:25:00.005+02:00

Lazy bloguera. Yes, that's correct. That out of the way, let's proceed, shall we?

There's so much I want to post here, but I seem to get sidetracked all the time. Basically, I have simply accepted I could not be much arsed with it lately.

However, I reckon I may be up to it again so lots of ninja shots (and not only of my feet, mind you) taken in Ukraine; snippets of Amsterdam; funny anecdotes; glow-in-the-dark kangaroos; a wedding party on a boat; a plastic magic aeolian creature; talk of sardines; huge sailing boats and so much more. So, no complaining allowed, you should count yourselves lucky to read this highly entertaining blog.

Let's start with a very chilled Sunday. The weather was miserable so it was decided the only way to go was to spend the day indoors reading and watching La Dolce Vita and Being There in one's pjs. So, here's a domestic post of sorts with silly mobile phone pics taken in a radius of about 20 square metres. Sounds dead daft (and it bloody is) but I enjoy my telephotony, so that's all you getting today, I'm afraid.

Mad changing-by-the-minute weather.

Suicidal tomato that could not be bothered with gale-force winds. I know, it was windy, but no need to jump ship, mate. Said tomato all over the house 'cos I am obsessed with it.

Plants in the balcony going mental at the wrong end of the season, while lilies inside (lovely pressie) are just not opening at all. Pancakes and cava (another lovely pressie) merienda in the afternoon just because. Note the handsome Arabian cava head dress. Ha. (And it worked, it stayed bubbly overnight.)

Soooo, before I'm off to the Eels in a minute (cannot wait), I leave you with a party trick.

I have no proper cava/champagne glasses (much more impressive in those, I'm sure) but this should do (high tech and serious quality as usual.) I am easily entertained, me.

in deadly e(a)rnest...

2010-08-19T17:26:00.003+02:00

... I reckon we spotted Mr. Hemingway having a nap at the gardens of St. Sofia in Kiev.

PS Sir, should you not be a reincarnation of Ernest but just an American tourist having a rest; write me a berated message and I'll earnestly remove the image from this blog. Seriously I am a very earnest ~~young~~ ninja. Apologies for sneakily taking your pic, but the resemblance was uncanny.

"I'm a puman". "I've got the sense of humour of a human and the fish-eating abilities of a penguin... and the power of a b b wolf."

2010-08-18T13:33:00.014+02:00

Beer Dog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin.

A special-mission ninja team is currently combing the city for a sample.

UPDATE: one of my ninja informants tells me it's not the strrrrongest in the worrrrrrld any longer. Some Germans tried to beat them to that mark and they countered with a 41% one called "Sink the Bismarck". How very subtle of them.

moloko (in my coffee every morning)

2010-08-16T17:36:00.006+02:00

Dobry den, nice (or not) bloggers of the world,

Just back from spending two weeks in the Ukraine. Yesterday was just a pretty couch potato day. Enjoying the clattering sound of the rain on the windows (I know!), reading, and surfing the Interwebs. Three things I had not really been able to indulge in the last fortnight.

It's been two weeks full of fab, new and interesting stuff. Last-minute planning, swooning over mad Cyrillic calligraphy, trying to make ourselves understood, being pretty mystified by nonchalant locals, eating lots of pancakes and ice creams, drinking litres of kvass (that'd be me), forgetting how to say dasvidanya every single time when leaving a place (that'd be me again), amazing at the vertigo-inducing stilettos women wear and, last but not least I'm afraid, sweating like little piggies. Seriously. You've probably read about the heat wave in Eastern Europe but, I'm telling you it's been pretty overwhelming and exhausting. There wasn't a day with temperatures below 35 degrees (and we actually suffered the big 40 during a few days in a row.)

Oh yeah, and I got the lergie. It seems my body's natural defences went to the dogs in the extreme heat conditions (pretty much all right now.)
I have turned into such a Northerner. I cannot take the heat and that's a fact. Well, that and age. Boo hoo.

More pics (not just unedited telephotony) coming up at some point.

P.S. Oh yeah, should anyone care about it, the tomato plant is doing well (it seems the heat wave pretty much by-passed Central Europe completely, plus a friend popped round my house now and again to water my plants.) Hooray. At least three teeny tiny mini toms are already putting an appearance. Watch this space for more riveting (I'm telling you, riveting) urban balcony gardening. However, for serious tomatina, check fuoriborgo out. Impressive or what.

green fingers... yup. from squashing bloody caterpillars, like.

2010-07-28T11:42:00.010+02:00

I really keep trying my best at this greenery-growing-on-the-balcony-lark. But the bloody evil green caterpillars keep coming back (and I have moved house) to eat up my bloody plants. Bloody hell, I had to get rid of my basil, chives, parsley and lavender yesterday. For chrissake, I'm not the best of urban gardeners as it is. This is not helping.

So, apart from crunching (bollocks) and unsuccessfully (bollocks) trying to replant the broken (bollocks) branch where one tiny little cherry tom was starting to appear (double bollocks), I reckon I've saved the tomato plant.

It was given to me about two weeks ago. This is me carrying it on the bike basket that night.
Quality photography. Warning: It may cause drowsiness.

I was in motion, so was the bike and there was no light.
However, it is much better than the first one I tried to take. Look:

Wey hey. How pretty is that! My bike light going all sparkle mad.

This is what one end of the balcony looked like last week (I wanted to show the extremely impressive growth of above-pictured plant to its generous previous owners.)

Anyway, the tomato plant is a good 10 cm. higher now (that's about 4" for you non-metric nutters) minus one branch sporting one minute tomatito plus a bunch of squiggly green bastard caterpillars.

Bastard things, trying to charm me with their circus flourishes and curlicues. They had to go. Unfortunately all my herbs had to go with them. Bastards.

Well, I'm happy the olive tree is going strong and so is the black-eyed Susan vine. I also planted some random flowers that were supposed to be coming out by now, but haven't seen much colourful progress on those yet. Oh well... End of boring green post. Nearly.

I reckon next time I see caterpillars I'm going to try and pimp them just like Antonia does her snails (always in a responsible and well-informed manner, bien sur.) Any ideas? Aimee? Jen? You wouldn't happen to have any random tutorials on the subject kicking about, would you?

You say tomato, I say tomato.

stories-within-stories-within-stories-within-stories

2010-07-23T10:28:00.000+02:00

Infinite regress.

Photographer capturing subject watching photographer capturing subject watching....

Infinite voyeurism.

World Press Photo, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, June 2010.

(As seen through the telephoto lens of this ninja. Pics unedited.)

1 + 1 = bollex

2010-07-16T14:40:00.009+02:00

I got sent this (rare) WIN entry from failblog.org (a well-loved site by some members of our congregation) and it made me think of real exam answers I received some time ago by mail (no idea where they come from.)
You just have to love them, don't you? They actually remind me of myself at the time, even though the ninja didn't have the cheek to actually draw wild animals. I just sat down, put my name on top of the exam paper and waited an hour looking into space with aloof dignity. Aaaaaaaw, good old rebellious times.

Exhibit A: Inconvenient Grizzly Bear.

Exhibit B: Well... Obviously, Sir.

Exhibit C: Serious Expansion.

Exhibit D: Laying Down the Numbers.

Exhibit E: Accepting Your Fate aka The Hangman.

a break from our live on-air footie broadcast of late

2010-07-12T10:23:00.006+02:00

Some peace and quiet. Finally.

Slightly random however loosely connected to the footie discussion (in a tangential sort of manner, too obscure a reference, je le sais.) I give you Paul.

No, not the octopus, but the King of Everything Cool, softly stirring the best and the worst inside you.

Oh yeah, and playing some footie. Fancy that! (I do.) Win-win.

ninja footie madness or on the way to cardiac arrest

2010-07-08T10:06:00.005+02:00

Two consecutive matches.

Two colours to sport.

Two teams to support.

Two victories to celebrate.

One sport holding this blog hostage.

One ninja bound to suffer serious tachycardic palpitations on Sunday.

P.S. To counter all this footie action, I am happy to inform we have had a (first time ever) LIVE ON NINJA (non-sport) broadcast on the previous comment section. I am well-impressed and thoroughly delighted. Grazie Francesca, our green foreign correspondent, reporting from the city of Braga (which, incidentally, means "knickers" in Spanish. Random trivia fact. Never a ninja post without one, ei.)

naranja es el color

2010-07-05T21:57:00.005+02:00

No feet this time. Just a few ever-so-slightly orange touches before the match last weekend. Yup. Football is definitely da name of da game this week too.

Orange, orange, the whole country is orange.
I just happened to buy an orange chair the day before (coincidence?) And... Have you seen that ciggie butt? Orange end plus the flag of the Netherlands. WTF? On Saturday evening there was not a centimetre free on the park where we went to watch the match. (In all fairness it was the combo glorious footie victory + extremely hot weather + Faithless playing at the park that evening.)

Orangeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. How orange can you go. Well... very.

I will, of course, be supporting "my other" team on Wednesday night too.

Bloody 'ell. Hard work this week, ei.

summer feet in da city

2010-07-01T11:18:00.014+02:00

Summer (as in proper summer) has finally made it to these parts. Bloody hooray, I say.

I had a short summer stint in Barcelona last month; only to come back to horrid grey skies, seriously hurricane-force winds and mad rainforesty showers
(I know, I know. But I'm weak. I need light.)

However, after a few ups and downs it seems it is here to stay. But... is it? Let's just enjoy it while it lasts, shall we? Hooray, hooray and requetehooray.

So... Should I ever manage to sort through the gazillions of telephotos I take with my trusty little phone, I'll show you some summery (and not so summery) shots. Meanwhile (and following an ancient ninja tradition), I give you summer feet in Barcelona, Amsterdam and Paris (where I was last weekend... Oh, là là.) Impressed? I am. Just need to get those sandals out now.

This is doubling up as a late cv. Jane's the one who's got all the summer action, though.

Yup. Not really doing it regularly any longer but kind of sometimes joining you lot. If you let me play, that is.

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FRIDAY UPDATE: A sneak peek of my ever-so-shy-toes. Bloody World Première. There.

I hate... (x3)

2010-06-24T12:59:00.008+02:00

...getting the hiccups and yawning sounding
like I am (rather off-key) loudly belching

(even if I'm at a hard rock concert. still not on)

...taking the rubbish out, forgetting to replace

the bin bag and then, repeatedly throwing
stuff into an clunk-sounding empty bin
(particularly annoying: wet ground coffee)

...cutting my finger with the lid of the (nota bene posh) body
lotion tin. not being able to open the bloody tap because
my bloody fingers are covered in bloody slippery cream
(all to end up profusely swearing and speaking to inanimate objects
while, both literally and figuratively, bloody bleeding all over the sink)

a-ranting & a-moaning
-an increasingly random series that will captivate the hearts of young and old alike-

a storm in a teacup

2010-06-19T23:13:00.005+02:00

If only all storms in a teacup were this pretty.
My own totally-blown-out-of-proportion-private-dramas also tend to involve blueness and static discharge. Nonetheless, they're not half as beautiful or delicate as this one below. If only...

I've just seen there is a British version too. However, a tad biased as I am, I would totally go (were I able to afford it) for the Royal Delft one.

john lumbus - cabaret.co.uk design milk laikingland