Squander

As Skunk Anansie sings,

Why take everything you see?
You have nothing left to squander
If you keep pushing me away
You have no one left to love

You throw it all away
those ties you went and suffered for
you cause disaster
and flouder flouder flouder flouder

Why take everything you see?
You have nothing left to squander
If you keep pushing me away
You have no one left to do love

your less than you should be
why run so hard to finish last
you caused contendement
and i wonder wonder wonder wonder

Why take everything you see?
You have nothing left to squander
If you keep pushing me away
You have no one left to looooove, looooove
Why squander squander squander squander

Why take everything you see?
You have nothing left to squander
If you keep pushing me away
You'll have no one left to, no one left to love

Greatest attempt ever

My colleagues told me about the cycling path that connects one end of Netherlands all the way up north to Amsterdam and maybe further. So, this piece of information has inspired me to cycle ( not to Amsterdam of course ) to Noordwijk. I also found a good excuse to drive me completing this mission, by visiting a friend that stays there currently. However, due to the weather ( yes, weather dictates a lot of activities in m life these days ), I have been postponing this trip and also conveniently replacing it with the many parties, weekend activities, excursions, picnics, beach walks, lazing in the many parks in The Hague.

Finally, I had this great weekend where I really wanted to commit to this trip despite my slumping fitness from too much vacation. Also, a colleague's invitation almost seduced me off the track. Come on, to learn pottery ?? How interesting is that! Thanks to me strong will, I disregarded the weather forecast this time, and headed straight to Scheveningen, Wassenar, Katwijk then finally to Noordwijk.

Given that the destination "sounds" very close by, I had my muesli and headed off without food and water supply. Silly idea. As I started cycling, I couldn't stop cursing for not doing it sooner because it could have built my endurance for so many things else that I wanted to do in near future. Let's say, kite-surfing, surfing, marathon running and many other things in my list! My assumption about the cycle path was wrong - I initially thought that Netherlands, being Les Pays-Bas, should be flat and ... easy to cycle. In reality, there were a good mix of slopes and winding roads passing through the dunes.

When I hit Wassenar and almost lost my way at the many cross junctions in the woods, the situation motivated me to keep on going instead. Then I reached Katwijk, which was 70% of the journey. The part from Katwijk to Noordwijk was a struggle for me given that my energy was well spent without hydration and my endurance was just lacking. No, I neither saw God, nor the guiding light. I was just merely enraged that I swore to myself to finish the whole trip since so many others ( even elderly folks! ) could have done it. I was not going to give up because I only had a lousy city bike with single speed gear to get past the slopes in the dunes.

At the end of the day, the amazing scenery was the best payback I could ever ask for. Then, there were also discoveries in Noordwijk when I visited my friend - beautiful garden flea markets, tiny towns with lighthouse and churces, bungalows and the mansion belonging to Heineken's owner. You do know Heineken, the green label beer that tastes horrible? Not mentioning, I was even in a Swimming Camp for kids. How did I end up there? Until next post.






Information:
Route Details
About Noordwijk

Shocking Wednesday

1. There is no pet shop in The Hague. You can only get dogs as pets through animal shelter or breeder service. Hah!

2. Car mechanic service is utterly exquisite here. Beware that you might need to go to another city just to get your 30 years old car fixed. Lesson learned from Steven.

Vlaggetjesdag a.k.a Flag Day

Just in case you did not click on the link in my previous post. Here is what the Flag Day is all about. Remember? The Herring thing.

I have never tried one yet. Perhaps, it should be my goal for the month of June.

Herring, the sushi of Holland

The passion for raw herring is one of the rare things that visitors to Holland (and, whisper it quietly, many Dutch people too) often fail to appreciate. Yet, while herring may lack the sophistication of sushi, it is similarly central to this country’s culture, and entwined with its history and custom. One ritual pertaining to herring is Vlaggetjesdag Scheveningen. Like so many other things in the Netherlands, the herring seems routine at first glance, with its indistinct size and shape and unceremonious manner of preparation and consumption. Scratch the surface, however, and you find a rich history and many exotic rituals connected to this fish. For instance, herring has traditionally been eaten salted in Holland; this includes a special gutting process which, according to tradition, was invented by Willem Beukelszoon in 1380. When herring is gutted, the pancreas is not removed, so that special pancreatic enzymes let the fish ripen. Yes, that sounds good doesn’t it!
The composition and taste of salted herring changes through the year, as the individual fish put on a layer of fat through the summer. Other traditional ways to prepare this Dutch staple food include pickling in vinegar and serving with pickles (in a so-called “rolmops”), and smoking. Smoked herring becomes red and was supposedly used to throw bloodhounds off the trail of fugitives in the old days; this is why a decoy from the main issue in a discussion, for example, is still called a red herring.

Vlaggetjesdag ScheveningenVlaggetjesdag (“flag day”) has celebrated the arrival of the first herring (“Hollandse Nieuwe”) in the southern coastal towns of Vlaardingen and Scheveningen for years. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in Scheveningen for the festivities, and the fishing boats are decorated especially for the occasion. In addition to the omnipresent herring, this day also features a number of activities unrelated to fish, for both young and old. In Scheveningen, the first barrel of herring is traditionally sold at an auction on the Thursday preceding the official Vlaggetjesdag Scheveningen, and the proceeds go to charity.

During Vlaggetjesdag Scheveningen, visitors are invited to watch spectacular demonstrations by rescue teams, participate in old Dutch children’s games, admire famous artists, watch the Royal Navy, tour boats and old fire engines, enjoy demonstrations of old crafts, watch famous chefs perform their magic, sing along with shanty choirs and enjoy the many colourful traditional costumes. Orchestras, bands, artists, artisans and old sailing luggers all contribute to the fun, which also includes miniature ships, sailing tours and sampling of all kinds of fish. And if visitors want a break from the action, they can always make a pit stop at one of the many sidewalk cafés or go exploring the historical Scheveningen village.

An ancient traditionVlaggetjesdag Scheveningen as such is not very old – it was only made official in 1947. The festive tradition around the beginning of herring season is much older, however. In the 18th century, the villages along the coast, including Scheveningen, were forbidden to gut the caught herring. Since herring was most appropriate for smoking around September, most fishing boats fished flatfish or round-bodied fish during a part of the summer so as to avoid a surplus of fresh herring. Only eight or ten boats fished for herring in those days.

A poem from Scheveningen commemorating the departure of fishing boats on 14 September 1781, for instance, notes that there were only ten boats present. Stadtholder William V was present during the departure, as was customary for him on this day of the year. The poem notes that the fishermen were very appreciative of their prince’s gesture, and emphasises a number of familiar aspects. For instance, the boats would fly their flags, and two of the vessels would come back after sailing out to pay homage to the prince – both elements recognisable to us today. Finally, the best herring caught was for the ruler, very similar to the ceremony of reserving a koninginneharing for the Queen. A tradition that unfortunately does not exist anymore today.

Herring in ScheveningenFishermen from Scheveningen did not fish for herring much until the middle of the 19th century, the monopoly of gutting and salting being reserved for the cities along the river Meuse. Various small-scale festivities around the beginning of the herring season were recorded in the first half of the 20th century. Although photos from this era show harbours full of different boats, usually flying their festive pennants, this was by no means Vlaggetjesdag yet.
On 10 May 1947, however, the press reported that “[…] the fleet [was] ready. Hundreds of flags fluttered from the rigging of the luggers in Scheveningen yesterday. It was ‘Vlaggetjesdag’ [...].” This is the first time this word was used by the press, still carefully between quotation marks, for the beginning of the herring season at Scheveningen. This ceremony would soon develop into the Vlaggetjesdag that we all know and love today.

Source: Yacht Valley Magazine

Another article for you if you're interested -> here

Hoi Nederlands!

I came back to Netherlands in total relief from the intense dramatic atmosphere back there. People are just crazy! I would safely conclude that it’s a cultural thing where simple things tends to be complicated by human beings ourselves. Anyway, I stepped off the train 7am early in the morning, and bogged down by my 17KG backpack and 8KG hand luggage. The chilly breeze at 16 degrees and beautiful sun were there welcoming me with such grace. The whole city was also invaded by orange flags that I had no clue what it was about.

“ It probably is one of the many carnivals they have again…” I thought of that naturally since the Dutch know how to party so well.

Then as I was heading on the tram back home, again, I saw concert props being set up close to my place with ferris wheel operating in the distance by the harbor.

“Apa ni…concerts again? That’s why I love this country sooo much.”

A month ago, the harbor played host to North Sea Regata Concert, a tribute to a sailing competition kicking off that weekend. I wasn’t there, but I didn’t have to be there anyway. The music was so loud that I could hear it from my apartment located 5 minutes walk away from the concert. On the other hand, I was in fact busy hosting dinner for friends, as usual.

Bah. Back to the story. There’s no story. I just want to ramble.

After crashing a stranger’s party, I headed on my bicycle that Saturday night through the eerie woods. I kept my eyes straight not straying my gaze into the darkness. What a habit I have after growing up in a bedroom facing a graveyard with mysterious oil lamps. It was so cold, as opposed to the pleasant weather during the day, that it drove me cycling like a robot going haywire to get home as soon as possible. Then I had a flashback of my day.

- Woke up at 5am and had my 4 hours exam in Utrecht
- Came home in the afternoon to clean my apartment
- Had friends over after their afternoon by the beach
- Crashed a party by accident – the place was so far away and the people were uptight. I brought in spices!

- Dropped by my friend’s new apartment to wait for them getting ready for Gay Parade after-party. I was not in the VIP list due to my friend having only few free tickets...How is this possible? Joss, you need to reflect :p
- I bailed and turned in for the day and headed home.
- Then, this flashback happened.

As a result, I love Netherlands even more because things I did up there are usually what I would do over a weekend back in Malaysia. The transportation system and distance between places were not as flexible as it is over here for me to go to so many places in a day. Also, how could I have crashed people’s parties? Gay Parade party? I probably had to sneak through some Fridae dudes so that I can join some orgy parties somewhere. Even if I got a Fridae dude friend, I might be stopped by police for summons or bribes due to drinking and driving, whichever come first.

At that moment, all I had to do was cycling slowly, passing by the greenery, enjoying the breeze and my beautiful ride home.

Then, my friends told me, it’s world cup season, thus the orange flags and hyper fans everywhere. Also, it’s vlaggetjesdag, thus the concerts! I’ll write about that separately because it’s quite a unique festival that I want to go next year!!

Declutter

As much as I was trapped in a whirlwind of mind-storm after being overloaded with excessive information, I'm glad that I came across this little anecdote that helped me to move on immediately.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."

"Test of Three?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about It."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness: Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. "You may still pass though, because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed.

So, are you sure that the information you got today is true, good and useful to keep in mind? If not, why not stop the passing on of such information so that the world has less clutter that does no good?