Il Principe

Obituary

2007-08-14T20:23:00.000+02:00

Leander was a modern version of the Renaissance man. His interests were far-flung, and he sought out and found connections among disparate areas of study. The enthusiasm he brought to each new subject was genuine and infectious. Who else might be able to speak extemporaneously on mercenaries, politics, and the latest Ajax transfer?

Leander thoroughly enjoyed learning and always included educational experiences in his schedule. After graduating college in law, Leander's indomitable curiosity led him into other areas of study, acquiring several academic degrees and professional designations. He continued in education from the other side of the lectern, teaching at Harvard, USA and Oxford, UK. Leander was a gifted scholar and communicator, in short, a great man. He was at home in front of an audience, large or small, and always put on a wonderful show, effectively telling his tale and explaining his views.

Leander saw work as an important avenue to achieve meaning in life, and he was proud of being a field hockey player. He thought about how to promote the profession to make sure it survived. He was concerned that we were not sufficiently careful in attending to our roots, studying and expanding our scientific and physical approaches. If we did not add particular value to problem solving, why did there need to be athletes at all? When our education and mental system strayed from rigorous attention to sports, he worried that athletes would be supplanted by other disciplines. Leander was a person who loved finding a better way and tirelessly sought new and better solutions to problems.

This passion was effectively applied by a brilliant field hockey player whose ideas lead to many innovative approaches using techniques to address various strategic problems. Creative and forward thinking, he did his best to engage the profession in these new areas of intellectual inquiry. The spirit that moved him was both adventurous and sportive. If someone had a problem in need of solution, it was, "Leander to the Rescue!" Leander was there, super field hockey player, an in-the flesh representative, showing the way to approach questions and think through issues.

As a natural outgrowth of these convictions, Leander did his best to lead the profession into new areas of intellectual inquiry. And, he identified new issues earlier than most of us. Countless Society of Athletes' conventions and committees benefited from his contributions by his presence and through his papers and lectures. Often recruited as a speaker at Society of Athletes' sponsored meetings, he was always ready to help out, as an entertaining and informative addition to the program. He was the moving spirit behind so many research projects, symposia, and papers. (A library search under Leander's name on the Society of Athletes' Web site results in 265 matches for papers and articles.) He was a person who loved new investigations, research, and tirelessly sought new and better solutions to problems. His many contributions stemmed from his conviction that sports and work brings lasting satisfaction. All these many works led to his being awarded the Society of Athletes President's Award by Anna Rappaport in 2006.

Consulting for Goldman-Sachs on matters of investment integration using new methods led the way for building relationships with those in the political, diplomatic, and international community. For example, at Harvard in collaboration with Ed Altman, Leander organized conferences providing an opportunity for exchanges among athletes, coaches, professionals, and anyone else concerned about emerging methods for developing and tactics for the sport. Analysis of risky fixed field hockey instruments, extrapolation of power rates and corner data to offensive tactics, player analysis, performance measurement, and asset and liability valuation are some of his impressive output. In reflecting on Leander's contributions, Professor Altman said, ". . . in tactical applications of corner techniques, no one can compare with Leander . . . (he is one of the) best examples of someone who bridges the gap between scholarly inquiry and pragmatic application of athletes . . ."

Perhaps Leander's most unique contribution was the use of quasi-Monte Carlo scenarios for developing tactics for defensive measures and maneuvers and corners. This work led to his obtaining a patent with collaborators at Columbia University. I had the good fortune to work with him, applying this technique, using Game Breaker (a modeling program) to evaluate different allocations of players’ skills and moves. Leander saw a way to calculate a deterministic distribution of ways more efficiently than using the usual random tactics generators.

Leander leaves behind 3 wives, 4 mistresses, and 6 kids; all fighting over his $3 billion inheritance. He will be missed.

Home

2007-08-09T01:03:00.000+02:00

After 6 weeks of coaching camps in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Connectticut and Michigan, spending 3 days shopping in New York City and a rides in planes, trains and busses, I'm back home again. Full of stories, full of memories. With new friends, 862 photos and short movies, an empty bankaccount and a pile of bills to pay. Isn't life great sometimes?

But on the bright side: I have seen a lot of the country and obtained my 47th country-point: Canada! :-) Don't ask me about the 17hr Greyhound ride though. I did get the opportunity to visit some friends in Washington and NY though and it was a blast.

To all of you who have hosted, transported or entertained me: thank you!

EIDP Logo

2007-06-27T20:20:00.001+02:00

Holidays

2007-06-26T01:44:00.000+02:00

Dear friends,

This Friday, 29th of June, I’m flying to the US of A and will only return the 7th of August in the Netherlands. You can always send me an email, but during the period I will not be answering my emails that frequently. I have my Dutch cell phone also with me, but I hope it won’t be necessary to call me during my “work.”

If I have your address, you might get a card, if I’m in the mood to send cards (last summer in Namibia I sent 62 cards…)! :-) Hope to see at least some of you in the USA or in Europe this summer; do give me a ring if you’re around or want to meet somewhere.

Take care and enjoy the sun!

Yours,
Leander

Field Hockey moves

2007-06-22T14:18:00.000+02:00

Piano

2007-06-20T14:16:00.000+02:00

Glasses

2007-06-20T13:56:00.000+02:00

I'm pissed, frustrated, angry, silly and broke. I broke my glasses... I'm leaving next week to the US and I broke my glasses beyond repair. Crap. Just had to buy new ones and they are ready, just the day before I fly, so I'm lucky with that. Sadly it will cost me a lot of money again (which I don't have), but I need them, so my bad luck.. :(

New phone

2007-06-17T23:55:00.000+02:00

I finally have a new phone. My old HP Ipaq 6915 broke down, the sound stopped working, Windows crashed all the time (what's new...), and the keyboard wasn't too happy to respond on all the buttons as well. Since I have to renew my contract at Vodafone and I'm a high-volume customer, got this nice Blackberry 8800. It's shiny, it's fancy and I can hear people again! :-) Not only that, but I can als receive my email on it as well.

So far, I have only run into a few minor points of the telephone. It needs a micro-SD card if I want to listen to music on it and I don'nt have one (yet). Furthermore, I canot sync my Outlook inbox and folders with it. Which is a major drawback for me, as I always liked to have my EIDP folder with me with the emails and documents. It doesn't come with a cradle, so I am syncronising the BB with a cable and lying next to my laptop. Finally: the GPS is crap: TomTom doesn't work on it and it's not as smooth as the Ipaq.

It is however a fabulous phone. It looks good, it works perfect (amazing enlighted trackball), sound is perfect, easy to navigate within the programs, email and sms are easy to write (although I am still used to the qwerty-keyoard of the Ipaq and make mistakes between Shift and Ctrl) and it came standard with a nice leathery case. My additional Bluetooth headset also worked perfectly with the Blackberry, so up till now, I am a very satisfied BB-customer.

I just need to work out how to deal with my greasy fingers on the shiny screen... :-)

Slight Cold

2007-06-15T09:03:00.001+02:00

I'm having a slight cold. Have been sneezing like hell lately and not a clue why. Looks like I have such a summer allergy, but that can't be, as I don't have it (or at least never had it). Hope it stops soon as it is rather annoying when I'm studying in the library... :-)

Travelers' Century Club

2007-06-14T20:55:00.000+02:00

While surfing over the web I came across a website of a club where people can become a member of when they have traveled 100 countries or more. These countries are not like the UN-list, but also small independent semi-states which are hardly known or usually seen as in integrated part of another state. This club is called The Travelers' Century Club and for those of you who know me a little: I would love to become a member, so I downloaded the application form and started checking boxes... I was able to check the boxes of 68 countries... :-( Ok, I admit: I'm 28 and who has visited 68 countries already at this age? I'm privileged and I know that and I am grateful that my parents were able to show me most of Europe. I am grateful that I was able to earn a enough to explore the former USSR and Asia and am able to work in the US during summer. I know that it sounds tacky, but I want more. I love to travel, I love to explore new cultures, meet new people, see new things, smell new things and enjoy the experiences and adventures. I'm 28 and I hope at 56 I have visited 150 countries. It will be hard as most of the not-visited countries are far away, but I will try. Traveling is my rush, my kick, my drive. I need it and it makes me happy. Am I strange?

Ben Harper

2007-06-13T21:47:00.000+02:00

Just discovered the artist Ben Harper. Superb songs, although a bit gospely (if that is even a word)... Just downloaded his whole discography and a DVD. Just very relaxing to listen to, but sometimes swinging and rocking. It's nice. Try it.

Food

2007-06-13T21:46:00.000+02:00

I survived the day on Winegums. Is that healthy?

Facebook

2007-06-11T21:50:00.000+02:00

I was never really into the profiles on the web, except for this weblog than. I don't have a MySpace, I don't have a Hi5 etc. I do, however, have a Facebook since last week. Ludmila added me and I just had to join. Have quite a number of international friends on there now already and it's fun. Some long lost acquaintances and friends are now in my friends-list and am in contact with quite a number of girls from the Nike Field Hockey Camps of the past 2 years. If you have a Facebook: search for me and ad me as your friend! :-)

Hockey

2007-06-05T12:41:00.000+02:00

My field hockey team was very succesful this year and with only 3 draws, 0 losses and 15 wins, we won this years comptition in our league. Next year we will promote to the highst league and hopefully will get some decent sponsoring. I will not try forthe 1st men's team anymore as it take too much time and you have to train 3x a week for sure, else you will end up on the bench and that just is too much for me. I will just play in the 2nd team and get my minutes, once in a while not being able to show up fro training. I had a blast this year though.

KPN

2007-06-04T17:15:00.000+02:00

I am still working for KPN, but in a different position now. I no longer need to call, but am a trainer. Well, I'm not allowed to say I'm a trainer since the company that does the trainings isn't aware of the fact that there is someone that needs to be trained, so they might get upset if they know I am training someone. I am however very cheap and the company asks around 500 / day, so I know why they have asked me.

I am training someone who worked for KPN 38 years already. She comes from a different task force and they didn't findher suitable anymore and she needed to find a different job within KPN to finish the last 2 years before her retirement.

The good thing for me is that I can plan my own hours and don't have to worry abut handling times, speed, etc. I can just relax, take 1 hour break etc, as no one will notice. :-) The downside is that she is old and not very capable anymore to comprehend the system and methodes very fast. It takes hours and she is sometimes so slow and does things 10x wrong after another, but it's fine. I am praised for my patience (which you need...) and am still enjoying it, so no worries there.

The whole family

2007-06-03T17:40:00.000+02:00

Brothers

2007-06-03T17:38:00.000+02:00

2007-06-03T17:37:00.000+02:00

Dad

2007-06-03T17:24:00.000+02:00

My dad celebrated his 60th birthday last Sunday and the whole family was at home to have dinner. My 2 brothers with their girlfriends and Joao's newborn son. I had to say that it ws a nice meeting and we had a lot of fun. As Redmer and Ingrid live in Eindhoven and Joao and Diasy in Rotterdam, we don't have a fmaily gathering that often, so it was good to have all around. Downside: I got teased that I was the oldest and the only one without a girlfriend, not living together and not a daddy already.

It was strange to see my mother and father behaving like a grandmother and -father. It made me laugh a lot as I totally didn't expected it and I don't know that childisch side of them. It was fun though and I can only say that we have a nice family.

Boring me

2007-06-03T17:08:00.000+02:00

Well, more than 2 months and no post on my blog. I got some criticism on that already from some friends, but quite frankl I wasn't in the mood to write.

I read an article last week about blogging and the fact that most blogs die after an average life of 3 to 5 months. At least my blog survived that period and is still alive, although not as active as it used to be. Not only did I stop writing for quite a while, but I stopped reading blogs as well. I haven't read HotTamale's blog, Tabletray's blog and others in months. Not a clue why, but it suddenly didn't appeal to me anymore. It's not only the reading and writing of blogs, but also he playing computergames, watching TV etc. Things I used to do at night all more or less stopped. I go to bed early now. I know: frightening, but true. I guess I'm getting old, very old...

Summer

2007-06-03T16:58:00.000+02:00

Summer means field hockey camps in the US since 2 years. This year I am going again and it will probably be a blast again! I am so looking forward to spend some time there again, not only because the pay is so good, but also because the coaching is a lot of fun and the girls are just crazy.

My schedule will be:

30 June - 2 July = Middlebury, VT
4 - 7 July = Springfield, MA
10 - 13 July = Stowe, VT
14 - 19 July = Blairstown, NJ
22 - 25 July = Fairfield, CT
29 July - 2 August = Sauk Valley, MI

I will fly to NYC the 29th, so in 3 weeks, and will fly back the 6th of August. This means that I have a couple of days left in NYC to visit some friends and have some fun!

The Xplore-project from the EIDP wasn't accepted by the nationl youth agency, so I will have the rest of August free. Will work a bit, have to go to Slovakia to visit Jana and have Aida's wedding In Tirana the beginning of September. I also have to go to David's birthday (since he was on mine as well) in Copenhagen on the 1st of September. All in all quite a busy summer and not even a real holiday for me! :-)

Seminar in Vilnius

2007-06-01T17:51:00.000+02:00

The 7-day seminar "Free Your Mind, Feel The Media" was organized by VIKC, the public organization of the faculty of Economics of Vilnius University in Lithuania. Main goal of the project was to find out the influence media has on society. A group of 30 students from Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands tried to find this out by attending lectures, visiting local media and doing some research.
Among the highlights of the program were a public research project in a trolleybus, a lecture from a well-known Lithuanian press-photographer, a visit to the Vilnius Television tower and a project at a student newspaper and radiostation. For the Dutch delegation a Queensday reception at the Dutch embassy also formed part of the program.
Next to the official part of the program there was also a lot of room for getting to know the other participants and the city of Vilnius. It was remarkable to see how quick 30 individuals from different countries and cultures got to know eachother and became good friends. Maybe the Vilnius nightlife might have contributed to this?
The week was ended with a visit to the castle of Trakai on the Lithuanian countryside. A nice end of an interesting project-week in which the participants got to know a lot about the media, but moreover: got to know eachother!

Coloured gate in Moldova

2007-03-26T01:21:00.000+02:00

My family

2007-03-26T01:16:00.000+02:00

The Hague

2007-03-26T00:42:00.000+02:00

I spend this weekend in The Hague visiting a friend. It was nice and we had a great time. Took one of the last trains on Friday evening and came back this morning before my match. On Saturday we went to Amsterdam to do some shopping and I bought a new pair of jeans. To be honest: I didn't have any pairs of jeans left and I wanted to buy a pair for some time already, but was just never in the mood, or had someone to go with me. My friend told me that I immediately looked more though and handsome, so must be a nice pair of jeans! (For the price I bought them: they have to be!) After shopping, we had a drink and went to the movies. Saw "The Good Shepperd", which is a good movie, but you have to like the theme and stand the duration. Overall a wonderful weekend and very enjoyable. Not at least by the company! :-)

Today's match

2007-03-26T00:36:00.000+02:00

My team had a match against Studs 4 today. They are ranked 2nd and my team 1st, so it was a thrilled. It was an away match as well, which caused for even more nerves. We had 2 points more than they had, so we could afford a draw, but a victory would give so much relief. We did win this afternoon. A battle it was. Lots of elbows, shoulder charges and hacking (= all mostly done by them, not kidding), so it wasn't a beautiful match, but it was thrilling and exciting. We won with 2-3 and I even scored my first goal of the season! A lucky one, I admit, but you have to have a bit of luck to stand exactly there where the ball bounces of the goalie. Was a nice, slow push between his legs into the goal. Nice. :-) We are pretty confident to become champs this season and promote to the top league next year. Only a couple of matches left!

Nelly Furtado

2007-03-26T00:31:00.000+02:00

Last week I went to a concert of Nelly Furtado in Amsterdam together with a friend, Florijan, and we had a blast. I didn't know all the songs from her new album, but she also sang Fly Like a Bird and others, so it wasn't all new and strange. It was a superb concert and the after party was amazing as well. What more can I say? Nelly, marry me!! :-)

DNA Test

2007-03-26T00:22:00.000+02:00

Dynamic Director

My Personal Dna Report

For example, if Confidence is at 80, that means that 80% of people entered lower values for confidence questions than you did.
Openness 96
Extroversion 96
Authoritarianism 94
Earthy 94

Projects

2007-03-24T00:57:00.000+01:00

The Institute is going well. One had a representative at a networking seminar last week in Georgia, I will go with 5 others to Vilnius end of April, we are preparing a 3-week trip to the Balkans for 20 people and busy with a lot more. The interest for the Vilnius seminar was overwhelming: only 5 spots and 20 applications. Too bad I have to disappoint so many, but better luck next time, as many more seminars will come.

Clothing

2007-03-20T13:34:00.000+01:00

Can someone tell me why a law student dresses up in sneakers, jeans, white socks and a white T-shirt when he has an exam? If he was a history student or a philosopher, OK, I would accept and wouldn't expect else. But a freaking law student? Get a life and dress up! Idiot...

Uncle

2007-03-17T17:49:00.000+01:00

Leander is becoming an uncle! Joao (my brother for the ones who don't know him) is becoming a father. He has a girlfriend in Zoetermeer and will become a dad within 2 or 3 weeks. He didn't dare to tell my family earlier, as he thought we would become angry or something, so he only just dared. He will get a boy and he baby will be named Jayden. My mother is extremely looking forward to a black baby and walking with it, but my dad got a heart attack when he heard that he would become a grandfather already! :-)

Away

2007-02-03T23:37:00.000+01:00

From Monday on, I will be away for a while and hopefully be back the 23rd. Nothing serious, not at all, but I won't be online that much and probably won't update too much either.

Big Brother

2007-02-03T00:23:00.000+01:00

EIDP update

2007-02-02T23:20:00.000+01:00

Last Friday we finally opened a bank account in Nijmegen, as we all had to come together and sign for it. Now we are really up and running! This Wednesday, we handed in 3 proposals to the National Youth Council to organize seminars/study-trips to Georgia, Kaliningrad and Armenia. A rather impressive line-up I would say! Lets hope all proposals get approved.

Dentist

2007-02-02T23:05:00.000+01:00

One of my friends is a dental-student. She asked me to be a test subject once and since I go to her once a year for my annual check-up. My regular dentist only lives 30min by train, but she lives little over 2 hrs by train: I must be crazy. :-) I visited last Friday again and besides my check-up, she found it appropriate to remove 4 (!!) of my molars/wisdom teeth. Two had already been removed a long time ago, 2 normal still remained and I had 2 extra ones. Not everyone gets these strange ones, way to the back, so I felt a little special. Now I wish I wasn't that special as it really hurts... A week has passed, but I still need some aspirin to keep the pain away. Hope it's over soon.

Champions Trophy Women

2007-01-22T18:17:00.000+01:00

Even though I had to work this morning and get up at 6.45, I went to bed at 3. Why? Simple: a live broadcast of the women's field hockey final of the Champions Trophy in Argentina against Argentina. It started spectacular with a goal for the Netherlands in the 2nd minute and the first 15 minutes was fast, flashing hockey. After that I had to bite my nails as Argentina became stronger, but wasn't able to force a counter goal. So besides being the current World Champion, we also won this prestigious tournament. Next stop: Beijing 2008 - Olympic Gold!

Aries

2007-01-14T19:20:00.000+01:00

Those born under the sign of Aries are friendly creatures with a forceful manner, a firm handclasp and an instant smile. They are naturally humorous and quick of wit, enjoying music and entertainment. As students, they have the ability to apply whatever they learn to good advantage. Individuals governed by Aries are a courageous leaders, genuinely concerned about the welfare of those they command. Being a responsible soul, it is rare that those ruled by Aries will use a subordinate to obtain their own objectives...but it does occasionally happen. Aries is much concerned with self...both positively and negatively. This self-reliant characteristic can sometimes lead to a self-centered attitude, with a tendency to be overly-concerned with personal advancement and physical satisfaction.

The Bright Side
The Aries personality is fiery and warm, passionate and self-expressive with an urge to act - NOW! This is not a patient sign; everything is done on impulse, and with great urgency.

ENTERPRISE
Aries is a courageous leader, not averse to taking risks, but will often feel that 'I know best '. As Aries has a quick grasp of the essentials of any situation, this may well be so; but Aries rarely hangs around to check for which to fight, a problem to solve, or a new idea to pioneer and this enterprising personality comes into its own.

EGOTIST
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and 'Me First' is the Arian motto! Active and outgoing, the Arian personality is all set to make its mark on the world - but this can lead to a selfish, egotistical attitude to life. In a vulgar manner, this often proves successful: because the simple fact of the matter is what Arians want, they usually tend to get.

The Dark Side
Strangely enough for such an active sign, one of its main failings is that of procrastination. Although Aries is extremely impatient and intolerant of delay, the Aries personality is prone to put off what must be done (tax returns, for example) if the matter to be put underway is simply not interesting. Similarly, Aries may resort to lies rather than undergo the inconvenience, or boredom, of being forced into doing something Aries would rather not do. Arians can also be blunt, often causing offence, or employ bullying tactics in a selfish desire to have their own way.

Primary Characteristics
Energetic
Passionate
Positive

Personality Traits
Adventurous and energetic
Dynamic and quick-witted
Enthusiastic and confident
Pioneering and courageous

Dangers
Can be foolhardy
Can be impulsive and impatient
Can be selfish and quick-tempered

Söhne Mannheims Concert

2007-01-14T01:59:00.000+01:00

Just came back from Amsterdam, where I went to the concert of Söhne Mannheims and it was a blast. I haven't had such a good time in a long time. Dancing, swinging, singing, clapping and cheering. I have most of their Cd's (if not all), but to see them in real life and experience the atmosphere is even better.
The Melkweg isn't a big place, max 700 people, and it wasn't totally full, but it felt comfy and everyone had a superb time. A lot of Germans were present, some even from Frankfurt and other far away places... What wondered me was the amount of Dutch present. I know the Söhne from my time in Heidelberg, but I wonder how the Dutch knew about them, as they didn't have hit in the Netherlands. If someone reads this and wants to elaborate on that: please do. I didn't bring a camera, so if someone made some pics: please send me a couple! (für alle Deutsche: wenn Ihr Bilder habt = schick mir bitte doch einige!)
To conclude: it was a superb, marvellous, great, comfy, swinging and wonderful evening! Thanks to Arnoud for accompanying me, where no one else dared or wanted!

Blood Diamond

2007-01-12T16:33:00.000+01:00

Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life. Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from a fate as a child soldier. Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find—valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player.

Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles. Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more. With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond.

I loved the movie. It deals with an actual problem or dilemma and even though I am not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, I did like his play in this movie. If you liked Hotel Rwanda, you will like this movie too. It is not for the faint of heart though, like the scene in HR when they suddenly driver over a road with only corpses. I suggest you see it, rent it, or just don't buy anymore diamonds!

Military Hospital

2007-01-07T12:39:00.000+01:00

During the check-up from the military to see if I could enlist, they came across some glitch on my heart-scan. Coming Thursday, I have to go to the military hospital in Utrecht to a cardiologist. Will see then if I have long to live left or not! :-)

Election Monitoring Mission Movie Odessa - Ukraine

2007-01-06T15:29:00.000+01:00

New Year

2007-01-02T15:34:00.000+01:00

A bit late perhaps, but I want to wish you all a very exciting, thrilling, beloved, humorous, playful, sunny, rich, progressive, happy and above all healthy 2007. I hope you all had a splendid party and superb celebrations. I didn't. I had to work again at 8 AM in the freaking morning, so I went to bed at 00.30 and slept. Never had such a relaxing day at work though... :-)

The year 2006 - a review

2006-12-31T12:07:00.000+01:00

The year has passed with a speed, so fast, I can hardly recall what I all did. A short overview and review from my side.

During New Year, I was in Reykjavik, Iceland with Christina and I have never seen such a deserted, but beautiful country. End of January, I went to France to organise the Dutch Student Skiing Championships and it was a blast. Imagine: 850 students packed in a small french village, drinking every night till late, making the slopes unsafe and having superb competitions. It was a blast and I hope the new board will do a terrific job this year too. In February and March, I went to Moldova for 2 seminars and it was a blast too. I combined March with a election observer mission in Odessa, Ukraine. You can watch the movie here. Kiev, Ukraine was my next destination in May and I had a blast there with my superb guide Irina. July/August meant coaching in the USA again and I want to go again!!! I am really looking forward to this summer to visit my kids and coach again. My parents invited me and my brother for a 4 week trip to Namibia in August for their 30th Anniversary. The magnificent pictures of that trip and those from the USA, can be found here. After August, I haven't been abroad anymore and I am craving to go somewhere again.
Besides all the trips, Christina broke up with me, met a gorgeous other girl, worked my butt off, stopped with coaching hockey in the Netherlands, setup a new institute regarding democracy in eastern Europe, drove the Finnish president on her visit to Groningen to open a new exposition of the Groninger Museum, still haven't bought a car, still didn't graduate, applied to the military (the national reserve), missed a couple of birthdays (happily no weddings this year) and in general some amazing experiences.
The prospects for 2007 are fairly OK. Financially I am getting on the better side, university is progressing rather well, possible trips/EOMs coming up to Armenia and Russia, going for sure to the USA again in July/August, a wedding to attend in Albania in summer, HAVE to visit Ukraine and hopefully Georgia and am thinking of buying a car and finding a good paying job. All in all, not so bad, I would say. Anyone who would love to come over, or have me over: just let me know.

Looking back, I can't really say that my life has been that bad. Actually, I has been a blast and I have had the opportunity to visit a lot of new countries and have gained a lot of new friends. I thank you all for that and hope that more and better things will come this year.

Elections / Tolerance

2006-12-30T23:17:00.000+01:00

You probably heard all about the devastating elections in the Netherlands last November. Far left and far right won and the center parties lost. We now have cows in parliament (the animal party), have socialists who had theories of Marx in their programme just 10 years ago (socialist party) and a party who wants to kick out all Muslims (party for freedom...).

I don’t have a clue what is wrong with my lovely and once so tolerant country. The last 4 years we had to come out of an economic depression, but everyone gained and all is fine. Unemployment is at an all time low, social security is one of the best in the world, we have a stable currency, are respected all over the world and have liberties some people in other countries would love to have. No clue why our country so suddenly polarized. I fear that our budget deficit will increase, due to extra expenditure from the government and we will turn (even more) away from the EU, and may become the outcast of Europe.

Perhaps the time has come to thing about moving... Read the links if you are interested.

http://cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2160

http://cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2161

http://cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2156

New Year's Eve

2006-12-30T23:07:00.000+01:00

My life is strange. This year, for the first time in 4 years, I will be in Holland with New Year's Eve. Lack of money causes my obligatory stay at home, although I have invitations from friends to come to Barcelona, Munich and other places. What is even worse, is that I have to work in the 1st of January at 8am (!!), so I will watch some fireworks and go to bed. Can it get worse?
In 2003 I celebrated NYE in Rome/Italy, in 2004 Cape Town/South Africa and in 2005 Reykjavik/Iceland... Looking back I have to say that I had rather exciting places and days there and it was marvellous. Thanks Christina for accompanying me there.
Next year I will have to find an original destination to go to and I will make sure that I am able to go abroad. Not only do I find NYE here a bit boring, but being abroad makes it extra special and thrilling for me. Any suggestions? :-)

Söhne Mannheims

2006-12-26T14:32:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 13th of January the Söhne Mannheims will have a concert in the Melkweg, Amsterdam. I have 2 tickets and will go there. Anyone wanna join me to enjoy some superb (German) music?

For more info check their site.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T19:21:00.000+01:00

First of all: merry Christmas to you all and may it be a happy event with your family and loved ones. I, myself, had to work today and will have to work tomorrow as well, so I had my family gathering yesterday already. Good thing is that they pay 200%, else I probably would have declined.

On the left the (digital) Christmas card I sent to most of my friends (some I don't have an address of...) and I got quite some comments on it. It was never my intention to let you believe that the picture shows you Groningen. Not at all, as my province is one of the flattest in the whole country. It was more as an example of a nice winter scenery and with a little Christmas touch. The photo is actually made in Moldova last February, when I was there for a seminar. So to all those who told me: thanks, but I know. To all the others: just an explanation and some more blog-filling. Enjoy your dinners, enjoy your friends, family and lovers and don't get too fat and drunk. Yours truly from a lovely, grey, flat Groningen!

New Years Eve

2006-12-23T09:04:00.000+01:00

The last 3 years I spend New Years Eve abroad in some of the most fantastic countries in the world: Rome/Italy, Cape Town/South Africa and Reykjavik/Iceland. Unfortunately, I don't have the money this year and am not together with Christina anymore, who was my travelpartner the last 3,5 years.

Anyway, I am not going to be abroad this year, so who would like to spend NYE in Groningen at my place? You are more than welcome!!

Wow

2006-12-21T00:31:00.000+01:00

Medical Test

2006-12-20T00:53:00.000+01:00

Went to the Naval Base in Amsterdam yesterday for a medical test. Yesterday evening the medical tests: ears, eyes, physio, complete health check, blood, urine, dental, etc. I'm still trying to get into the National Reserve, but the process takes a while. There appeared a glitch on my heart scan, so they weren't sure to let me participate in the sport test and I had to stay the night at the base and get up at 5.45 this morning... Then the doctor told me in a 2 minute chat (!!) that I have to go to the military hospital in Utrecht and be examined by a cardiologist first, before I am allowed to participate in the sport test! So another month passes, before I am finally in... You really have to be patriotic and crazy to want to join the army...

Work and my brother

2006-12-18T01:01:00.000+01:00

My brother didn't get the job he was first told to get... They suddenly decided to hire someone with more experience, although my brother was first assured that he got the job. There was some miscommunication within the company it appeared. Big bummer, but I hope he will find something new soon.

Brother

2006-12-06T00:27:00.000+01:00

My brother got himself a job in Amsterdam as a database manager/ office manager for a telecommunications/training company. It will be his first real job, so he is rather excited and he will need to search for a place in Amsterdam, where prices are not funny at all and where space is limited.

Redmer: good luck with both your new job and finding a place!

Money

2006-12-06T00:23:00.000+01:00

I am rather furious right now, as my employer hasn't transferred any pay lately... To be honest: I am rather broke and have a pile of working days that still need to be paid! No clue how I am going to pay for my bills, as the company says they passed on the hours and the payment agency says they didn't received them. GRRRR

Meetings

2006-12-05T16:25:00.000+01:00

Last Friday, I was supposed to have some meetings with 2 friends, but the first sent me an SMS, that she couldn't come for dubious reasons. The second friend I had to SMS myself as he was 30min late (which he usually is), to hear that he was still in a meeting, and that it would take another 4 hours. So I had a rather free afternoon. Crap...

Work (2)

2006-12-03T00:30:00.000+01:00

Work is crap, not fun and boring. Not work in general, but what I am doing at the moment. Surrounded by nitwits and idiots I have to do the same job, listen to people's complaints, listen to my co-workers weekend stories and somehow survive it all. God, wish I was done with it all and had a good, decent job. A year of my life for that to happen anytime soon. However, guess it's my own fault, so I shouldn't really complain. Should have done more in the first years of my university-career, but not much to do about that now. Life goes on. If some day my braincells have died out of boredom and stupidity, you know why. This is my legacy.

The Winschoter Chamber Choir

2006-11-16T00:17:00.000+01:00

Just creating some publicity for my mother's choir. :-)

Practice Match

2006-11-16T00:13:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday, my team played against the 1st team of our club. Just a nice practice match, although no fun and pretty useless for us. First of all: we lost with somewhere between 7 till 10 to 0. Second: we don't have teams like our first men's in our competition, all the other teams have a totally different game, so for us this wasn't a good practice. I am glad though that I didn't join the first team. The atmosphere in our team is way better and I really dislike the coach. Good choice after all.

EIDP - the battle

2006-11-15T23:47:00.000+01:00

As you might have read in an email or on my weblog: I started a new adventure with 2 other idiots. The three of us have a common interest in eastern Europe and combined a whole lot of experience in participating and organising projects, living and working, and travelling in eastern Europe and the Caucasus. My companions both worked for another organisation before; the one that I joined as a participant to Moldova, but due to miscommunications, or better the lack of communication, the dictatorial style of how the president was leading the organisation, and the kind of projects the organisation was organising they decided to leave the organisation and we got in touch and talked about a new, better one. :-)

Of course, it is always easier to say than to do, but we do want to do things different and we do have a clear vision and goal in our minds. We do communicate and we want to do the more difficult projects in regard to EU funds etc. Not only the week drinking and cultural exchange in Turkey or Hungary with 40 foreigners. Of course, this is also fun, but it doesn't provide us with the incentive to make a change and to stand for a challenge. We would like to do the Election Observer Missions, the TACIS-grant projects, the working-experience exchanges/study groups, and more. It may take some time, but we have a very wide network already and are all born (sorry to sound a bit posh) networkers. Besides that: we are highly motivated and ready to do some work.

The other organisation has some problems with us, in regard to our existence, as it is not highly appreciated. Some background information to understand the matter. The other organisation, DiDEE, was formed out of 2 liberal youth organisations in the Netherlands, but operates independently. The liberal organisations (of one I am a member of) didn't have much to say and "lost" control over DiDEE. Not a problem, as long as the organisation works, but lately some bad publicity harmed the image of the organisation. A participant complained that the president didn't pay his bills, gave false information, and only goes on seminars to party instead of participate. Now I am not going to comment on that, but the complaints made it to 2 different university papers in the Netherlands, in which also the dubious financial reputation of the president was discussed. This all, coincidentally, came up at the same moment we were about to launch our organisation. Now the battle started about which organisation the 2 liberal organisations would support: the new, motivated one (EIDP), or their old, dictatorial, baby (DiDEE). Some sentiments play a role, in trying to rescue the old organisation and to revive it, but this weekend, 2 of the remaining 3 board members resigned, explained that some statements made by the board did not have their support, and the president stands now alone. I give him credit for being so optimistic and continuing his struggle, but it seems like a hopeless task. In my opinion he is still bluffing and trying to regain control, by making statements that this weekend a new, full board will be presented, they will have an office and a full time employee etc...

In the meantime, are we setting up our first projects, contacting our friends, professors and other acquaintances to start to build a new and great organisation. Wanna join? :-)

European Institute for Democratic Participation (EIDP)

2006-11-15T23:42:00.000+01:00

Dear all,

A couple of months ago, the idea, and vision of an organisation that deals with east-west cooperation were formed in our minds. We have been involved in different organisations before and have gained a lot of experience with (running) projects in Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Now the time has come to do something with this knowledge and our common enthusiasm for working on these affairs.

It is this enthusiasm that gave birth to the European Institute for Democratic Participation. (Please visit the preliminary website at EIDP).

The goals of the EIDP are:

• To support young Europeans in democratic participation

• To serve as a platform where young Europeans can jointly develop and conduct projects that stimulate democratic participation

• To promote east-west cooperation

• To support and develop civil society

We have been writing our first project proposals and concurrently we are studying ways how best to organise ourselves, in a way that we could create an organisation that would be able to both inspire and retain enthusiastic people to work on issues of democratic participation and East-West cooperation.

The idea with the EIDP is to not only organise YOUTH projects, but also the more extensive, adult and difficult projects in regard to MATRA, TACIS grants and EU/EC tenders. Projects financed under the YOUTH programme often lack its intended impact and tend to be more of "trips" or "holidays." With the EIDP we want to have a more professional and experienced approach, covering all the topics and possibilities concerned.

The reason for writing to you is to inform you of this new organisation and perhaps to make you consider working with the EIDP as a participant in a project or even as a project leader for any of the (upcoming) projects.

We offer our cooperation to you. It is our belief that in good partnership we can make a difference in the countries of the Former Soviet Union, and generally Europe as a whole

If you would like to know more, just reach us personally (Leander, Luc, or Olaf) or send an e-mail to the newly established office.

By all means, we look forward on cooperating with you, and finding common ways to act as citizens in our ever-changing world!

With regards,

Leander van Delden
With Luc Vocks & Olaf Koens

Kid

2006-11-15T23:39:00.000+01:00

My dear friend Sönke became a father a couple of months back and I usually don't post pictures of kids or babies here, but for him I will make an exception! :-) Here's the kiddo.

Sony Bravia Commercial

2006-11-15T23:31:00.000+01:00

I simply love it. No other words...

Theory of International Relations

2006-11-12T22:55:00.000+01:00

I have to follow the subject of Theory of International Relations and I simply hate it. I like International Relations, but I despise the fact that you have to break it all down to theories and schemes... Who cares if it is Realism or something else? This is something you will NEVER use again for the rest of your life and still they want you to learn it and, even worse, write about it. I now have to take a topic and write 7 pages about it. No problem, and I will happily do that, but what I don't like is that I have to incorporate a theory in it. I have to have a topic hat deals with a question including a theory. Now I came up with: "In which way does R. Gilpin's theory about the role of warfare in change, supports the (possible) use of Private Military Companies by the UN?" Exciting isn't it? I can say a lot about the UN, PMCs and the combination of both, but not a clue what I have to do with the theory. This is not going to be a nice couple of weeks. On a side-note: the guy who gives the course is younger than I am. How much should I take from him? :(

Another win + party

2006-11-12T22:46:00.000+01:00

Played against GCHC Gents 7 today and beat them with something like 6-1 or 7-1: I lost track somewhere. Not really an exciting match, but another 3 points and still heading straight to the championships. :-)
After the match, my team was responsible for today's party. Which means that we had to come up with a theme and had to handle the bar and kitchen. It was a blast. Everyone was dancing, good DJ and a great atmosphere. Our theme was "Ultimately Real" and we were walking around in shirts and with horrible, flashy green ties. Some even brought a jacket, but I didn't want to spoil my good jackets on such a beer throwing and bumping evening... ;-) Looking forward to the next party. :-)

Ranking

2006-11-11T13:07:00.000+01:00

1 GHBS H4 :)
2 Gron.Studs H5
3 GHBS H5
4 Gron.Studs H6
5 GCHC H6
6 GCHC H5
7 GCHC H7
8 Daring H2
9 Groningen H3

Winning streak

2006-11-05T18:23:00.000+01:00

Forgot to mention: we won our match with 0-2 at Daring today. We played against my old team, which I left in 2002. Was a bit strange, but I for sure didn't want to lose. We didn't and we played superb at moments, but still need some improvement. We are #1 in our league now though! :-)

YER

2006-11-05T17:30:00.000+01:00

Wednesday after the psychological test, I had a job interview at YER. YER is an international recruitment & selection agency that focuses on Professionals and Managers with a Bachelors or Masters degree. Well, it wasn't really a job interview, but more an informative talk about what I would like to do, what I have done till now and what would suit me. I have to say that it was a very good and enlightening talk. For the first time, someone criticized my CV, had good questions about what I would like, want and am good in. I had for myself the options management and consulting in mind, but consulting turns/turned out not to be my cup of tea. I am way better in general management and am more the person who keeps the overview and doesn't go that deep into details. I do have to work in an international environment however, but am not a very "student-like" type, so not all companies would suit me. I was labelled as the red frog in a pond with only green frogs. All this he said, not me, based on what we talked about, my answers and my CV. He hadn't seen a CV like that before from a starter (flattering of course) and he didn't see my long study time as a problem (what I feared a bit). Overall, it was a good meeting and I revised my CV and mailed it to the recruiter again. Now see what he comes up with. It will either be a management trainee ship or a intern job at a company to grow in. Both options are fine, as long as it is a nice environment, I can make some money and can work internationally.

I'll keep you posted!

Armed forces

2006-11-05T17:12:00.000+01:00

Last Wednesday, I had a psychological test at the army naval base in Amsterdam. I signed up for the national reserve (Natres) and am in the process of being accepted. There is the psychological test, the medical and sport test, the 2 week basic army training and then you're in. :-) Sounds easy right? On Tuesday evening, I took the train to Amsterdam already, as I had the test at 7AM, and there is no train at that time leaving from Groningen. Got a bed at the base together with a whole bunch of other guys, also trying out. Either for the Natres, the regular army, naval, or the special forces and both soldiers and officers. The first test was 133 questions on which you had to answer Right or Wrong. I finished it within 10 minutes. After that we had to wait for a talk with a psychologist. I had to wait 2.5 hrs before, they called me. The talk was a piece of cake: questions like "how was your youth", "when was the last time you were emotional", "do you have any bad or traumatic (sexual) experiences", "were you bullied or did you bully others", and more of that crap. (answers only available on request) It lasted about 1.5 hrs and then I was asked to step outside, so she could evaluate the talk. After 10minutes she called me back in and said I was accepted and mentally healthy (she has no idea... :)). The only thing was that I was very down-to-earth and businesslike in the talk and I could show some more emotions. On the question-test I scored extremely well, but I on the scale of being dominant my stats went through the roof. Apparently, I am a very dominant person. Never knew that... :-)

There was no time left to take the medical and sport test as well, so I have to come back the 27Th to do those and then I will know if I can proceed to the training.

Maybe a question you would ask yourself: why is he joining the army? Well, first of all I would like to do something useful in my free time, they pay OK and it's a rewarding job. Secondly: who doesn't like to play soldier and also have the opportunity to shoot with guns? Besides that, it doesn't take that much time: only a Saturday and an evening per month.

Sunday afternoon

2006-11-05T17:11:00.000+01:00

I took a shower, made an expresso, put on some comfy clothes and am ready to post a couple of updates on my blog. :-)

Work

2006-10-26T18:40:00.000+02:00

Today we had to do an exercise at work to look up some data in the systems we use. I was paired up with a drop-dead gorgeous girl. Not such a bad thing you (and I admit, I) would think, but she has some issues. She is extremely shy, she is a kind of Barbie-girl (make-up, clothes, etc), has little to no knowledge of computers and was irritated most of the time. She is really beautiful, but sadly there is not much inside her head. Such a waste...

Skype

2006-10-26T18:33:00.000+02:00

I am becoming a more and more frequent user of Skype, also because more and more of my friends have installed it. (a hint for all of you, who haven't yet...)

Yesterday evening I was bored and tried to find some random users who had their status on "free to chat". Lately people found me that way as well and had some very strange people talking to me. So, I search and the only people I could find, were bots, horny men or women working in the industry... The men can be explained, the bots less, but I guess Skype is being spammed as well with fake-accounts. The women were more curious. I tried a couple and all were busy or hung up on me. After checking their profiles it became clear that they were either working or fake as well. The links in their profiles, containing their homepages were all links to sex-sites.

I ended up talking to a Ukrainian, but after exchanging the standard sentences about the weather and where we live, I was out of knowledge... :-)

Overqualified

2006-10-21T18:22:00.000+02:00

I applied for a position of student-member of the education commission of the Faculty of Arts at my university (the RUG). The commission reviews the current studies and curricula and advises on new policies and new (methods of) education.

The talk I had was very positive and fun. They asked me how my friends would describe me, so I gave them Arnoud's phonenumber and asked them to call and ask him. They did that right away and Arnoud was very positive I would say. :-) I had good hopes.

On Thursday I received an email, with the message that they thought that due to my experiences, work, traineeships and adventures, thought that I was overqualified and wouldn't find a challange in the position. They asked me to reply and comment on their thought. I did and thought that I would still get the position, as I replied rather well and positive. Why would I apply if I wouldn't want to do something 100%? On Friday, I got a voicemail, as I couldn't pick up my phone: I wasn't selected and they were sorry to tell me by phone, but they had other, better, candidates.

OK, if they have better candidates, fine, no problem. But if you are sory to tell me by phone: call me back in 30minutes or something. Also find the reasoning strange, but ok, their pick...

Arnoud

2006-10-21T18:15:00.000+02:00

Arnoud (one of my best friends) became a Master of Science yesterday, as he complete his master's course in cultural geography. It was a nice ceremony with good cake afterwards and some nice moments. We are getting old...

Backaches

2006-10-21T18:11:00.000+02:00

And again: backaches. On Thursday I had training and halfway I did nothing strange, but suddenly my back started to hurt enormously. The night following was a drama and I couldn't sleep the bigger part of the night. Went to bed at 23.00, was still awake at 2.30 and had to get up at 7.00... Imagine. It is getting better, but still not fantastic. Don't a clue what is wrong, but I think I need physiotherapy again.

My Name

2006-10-20T18:52:00.000+02:00

I admit: my name is sometimes a bit difficult to pronounce, if you never heard it before. The HR department at KPN made it even more difficult though to write it as "Leaneart". Never heard and saw that before. Doesn't even look like it. Now I understand why the first days no one could pronounce it... :-)

Local Liberal Council Meeting

2006-10-19T18:50:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday, my (local) liberal movement had their annual meeting, where the new board got elected , people could ask questions to the current board etc. I left rather early, as the kind of people wasn't really my cup of tea. OK, I am a bit posh and a "rich-kid", but these guys were way worse and not in a good sense. Too many double collars, double tongues, crazy stories and strange ideas. Besides that: the kind of questions asked and the way the meeting went I have seen too often. With the Law Faculty Organization, Rudolph and I attended many meetings and we even disturbed some (what a great evening was that) and they were exactly the same. The old board(s) complaining about what the current is/was doing and other idiotic questions and interruptions. Not my thing.

Friends' news

2006-10-16T19:56:00.000+02:00

Some of my friends are further on the path of life with all the things you come across, so here a little update.

Kate (Georgia) got a baby, but I don't have a clue is it is male or female and no idea about the name.
Aida (Albania) is getting married next summer and has invited me, so I will for sure have to be there.
Arnoud (NL) will get his master title this Friday, so that calls for a huge party!
Olaf (NL/Belgium) will move permanently to Russia, to chase the love of his life.
Christoph (Germany) is currently working in Frankfurt at the prestegious firm Linklaters.

Good luck to all. :-)

My Albanian Speech

2006-10-16T00:50:00.000+02:00

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On its road towards European integration, Albania lost much time. The reasons come from an inherited communist legacy and poverty, to regional conflicts and internal crisis. During the difficult years of transition, Albania had to face the challenges of turning an ineffective planned economy into a market economy with social responsibility, of creating a stable constitutional system, of regaining public confidence and social cohesion.

Between 1990 and 1992, Albania ended 46 years of Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. This transition has proven challenging, as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a challenging infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in south-eastern Europe, and is continuing to work towards joining NATO and the EU.

Ten European countries, sharing a common aspiration for integration, were admitted into the European Union in 2004. Albania, too, is pursuing the realization of the same aspiration.

The Albanian Government and society are engaged into a widespread European integration process, being fully committed to carrying out the necessary reforms. We have the political will and drive, to carry out these reforms. At a ceremony held in Luxembourg last summer, the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, and the Republic of Albania, was signed. This shows that Albania is on the right way in the process towards European Integration and is determined to comply with European standards and democratic values.

Albania is working to strengthen the institutions and capacities of the central and local government, and to enhance the efficiency of the reforms. Albania has made significant progress in its democratic development since holding the first multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies still remain. So far, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair, especially since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997.
Following a period of instability due to internal quarrelling within the former ruling Socialist Party, the government went through a period of relative political stability. A number of significant new strategies and a new resource planning system were put in place, and the effectiveness of the Ministry of European Integration was highly improved. The 2005 election campaign, and the ensuing political polarization, used up a great deal of government energy and slowed the reform progress. In the 2005 parliamentary elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The parliamentary elections were lengthy and showed some shortcomings, but were conducted in a fundamentally sound manner. This election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. The parliament has remained a real forum for political exchange. Significant changes to its internal organization have improved its functioning and steps were taken to enhance the coherence of new laws.

We are also truly convinced that the respect and protection of human rights and freedoms are the main pillars of a democratic society. The Government of the Republic of Albania has constantly demonstrated that it fully implements the standards laid down in the Council of Europe Conventions, as well as the relevant documents of regional organizations, such as the OSCE. It will continue to do so in the future as well. Albania has associated itself with the countries that are implementing a number of national strategies and programs that focus on specific population groups such as women, children, persons in need, minorities, etc.

On the road to European integration, our region still, is facing challenges such as the future of Kosovo. Albania greatly appreciates the recent democratic and integrated developments in Kosovo, thanks to the efforts of the people of Kosovo, its self-governing institutions and the activity of the UNMIK. The Albanian Government has the view that the time has come for a rapid and clear implementation of policy of standards and status. This would be the key to the solution of a number of other issues. We really hope that the question of the final status of Kosovo will find its final solution soon for the sake of the Kosovo people and for the whole region as well. In the meantime, we are convinced of the need to build a democratic, multiethnic, and multicultural society in Kosovo governed by the rule of law, mutual tolerance, and understanding.

The road towards European integration is not an easy one, but the results are rewarding. Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have proven that while it is possible to reach the final destination, the process can be as important as the event of joining itself.

During fifteen years of transition, Albania's history of relationship with the EU can be seen as a history of building a state of law, public order, justice, and infrastructure. We are fully aware that the key to integration process is to build a sustainable democracy that respects the institutions and the state of law. However, we will need the help of the European institutions in succeeding with that. The EU should be willing to give advice and offer assistance in any matter and help to speed up the process towards European Integration. Not to dismiss or delay the possible accession of Albania to the EU, due to unfounded fears of increasing unemployment in certain West European countries or possible threats of Muslim extremism.

I thank you for your attention.

Glorious victory

2006-10-16T00:43:00.000+02:00

Today at 11 we had a match against the number 4 in our poule. We won with the stunning numbers of 2-7. :-) It was a nice day, with my whole team coming to drink coffee at my place at 9.30 and a nice match after that. Had the defence rather tight, except for the first countergoal in the first minute... :-( We are now second, but with 2 matches less played. Champions we are. :-)

PRA

2006-10-11T00:32:00.000+02:00

Today at 8AM I have a post-health check for the test I took the last 2 weeks. So I have to get up early and am not looking forward to that, as today was early as well and I am really tired. Will be a nice day though as I have my training to hit some decent balls and let out the anger and after that a friend will come over for a drink.

Idiotic people

2006-10-11T00:23:00.000+02:00

Had an interview at KPN today together with a whole bunch of people. As I am a little short on cash, have some bills to pay, and business isn't that flourishing yet, I am taking up another part time job. At a help desk that is. Not the most high standing and exciting work, but all I can get at the moment. I visited all the employment agencies in town, but I am either over-qualified or not full time available, so they don't have anything for me.

The selection was a peace of cake (a test with the reader next to it...) and I will probably start next week; I am curious how it will be. The IQ-level of the people participating wasn't that high (15 multiple choice questions, max 6 faults, reader next to it and still 50% dropout), but one lady really didn't know how to behave. She got accepted (very surprising) and immediately started to call her whole family and friends, shouting through the room that she had a job. Her (loud and nasty) voice, her appearance and the conversation an sich were all too much to bear. I controlled myself and didn't step up to ask if she really needed to do that, but by god, I hope she is in a different team...

Sunday: hockey day

2006-10-09T18:43:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was a fine hockey day for me, my team and the whole world! :-) At 10.30AM I was at the club, drank a coffee and reffed an interesting match of Gents 7 against some other men's team. After that I had my own match against the number one in our poule. We won with the glorious numbers of 4-1. We are definately going for the championship this year. Looking forward to that. After our match, our first men's team played and it was a thrilling match as well, which they lost with 3-4 against Tempo from Zwolle. The club bought a beamer, a sattelite and a screen and at 5PM we watched the dutch women win the world cup final in Madrid against Australia. God, never seen such a superb women's 2nd half. It was amazing and nice for showing next summer at some camps in the US. Do I have to mention that it was late when the light at the club went out?

PS even though Spain didn't make it to the final. Conratulations to Borja for winning the Catalan Cup! Go Borja! :-)

Some more frustration

2006-10-09T18:31:00.000+02:00

Over the ELS-NL email-list (ELSA Lawyers Society) came an urgent request for a chair and vice-chair for the upcoming ELSA ICM. Even though I have been very critical all my active years towards the International Board, about their way of working, their way of communicating and some other idiotic, silly little things, I have always supported the organisation and always offered to help. So, this time I also offered to help to act either as a chair or vice-chair. What surprises me: never heard a word from the IB again... Not a thank you, no sorry-we-found-someone, or anything else. Guess they didn't need someone that urgent... I tried to reach the secretary general on MSN, but she doesn't reply, even though she is online and active (= chatting with someone I was also chatting with). Do I understand this? Should I even? It is just frustrating as I only want to help and still see other similar organisations, like AIESEC, being so much more professional and progressing.

Books

2006-10-08T23:12:00.000+02:00

What women have with shoes, clothing and jewelry, I have with books. Yesterday was another fine example of this. I went to a bookshop to buy an ordered study book and came out with 3 other books. I need a new bookshelf. :-)

Ipod

2006-10-08T23:03:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I bought a new battery for my Ipod, as it was dead for a couple of weeks already. I first thought that I would leave it there and they would replace it, but they sold me a battery and 2 plastic screwdrivers in a package and I had to replace it myself. It took me a while (using a knife), but it now works perfectly again and even with my whole harddisk still full with mp3's! :-) The inside of an Ipod looks funny though.

New Template

2006-10-08T02:59:00.000+02:00

I have been thinking about a new template for a while. I have searched the web for some nice ones, but me being a complete html-noob, only wanted a fixed thing. Now Blogger moved to Beta Blogger and they had some new templates. The switching was easy, but inserting my site meter and world map was an ordeal. Moving from html to XML is not so easy, but with some help of Florijan and a lot of trying, it now seems to work. The clock and tagboard have been abolished, as hardly anyone wrote something on it and the clock was just for fun. Let me know what you think of my new template and if you miss something.

Fitness

2006-10-08T01:13:00.000+02:00

My brother started to fitness a couple of weeks ago and he let the club call me, if I wouldn't be interested in a try-out or joining; so he could get a present. :-) So, yesterday I went (it is actually around the corner) and did a nice 1.5 hr workout. This morning I went again and spend a full 2 hrs there. I don't really need the stamina (that is what I keep saying to myself, and maybe someday I will believe it), but I go there to get a somewhat better body. I haven't trained and played in a year and I am getting some fat, I don't want. :-) So I am doing the abs, the upper body muscles, the arms and more. Now I have muscle aches in my upper legs (of course I do some stamina exercises). Do I even like sports?

Hockey

2006-10-03T12:26:00.000+02:00

The Dutch female field hockey team is performing rather well during the Worldcup in Madrid, Spain, at the moment. They won their first 3 matches and are leading group A and have good chances to reach the semi-finals. They won from England, Spain and India. The matches weren't the most exciting once, hardly I would say, but it is a trend in nowadays hockey that it is getting more and more "professional". With professional I mean down-to-earth/plain/business-like. No more exceptional tricks, special moves or dashing shows. It should all be straight, safe and simple. I understand that it is imperative to win and to consolidate the advantage. Also the differences between the teams are getting smaller and smaller. The golden years that the Dutch were dominating the world (as the Pakistani before them) are over and countries like Australia, Spain, Germany and some Asian ones are at the same level and give fierce competition. The game itself has changed (more zone defense and less man-to-man for example), but the physical state of the players has grown tremendously. In this field the Dutch were behind, as countries like Germany and Australia started with more physical workouts way before the Dutch.
I do miss the magical passes, tricks and moves though. It makes the game so much more vibrant, alive and fun to watch. I love the sport, but it starts to get a bit boring.

PS quoting a spanish hockey friend of mine: "Women's field hockey is not a sport. You can't compare men's and womens's hockey by far." Should I agree?

Foreigners in Groningen

2006-10-02T13:20:00.000+02:00

The university paper of Groningen (the UK) published an article in their English section 2 weeks ago about foreign bloggers in Groningen. These are students who are in Groningen for a semester, a year or a whole bachelor and they write about Groningen, the Netherlands and their studentlife. As it is always nice to read about how others think about and see your city, I checked all the featured blogs and here are 4 links for you to read as well. Just to show another perspective of my (somewhat) subjective opinion and thoughts. :-)

Enjoy...

1 Mirja
2 Water Shed
3 Pieter
4 Haley

Violence

2006-10-02T13:10:00.000+02:00

Today in the newspaper: violence against the personnel of an ambulance who arrived to help someone during a night's out. Police has to come to set them free and gets mobbed as well. Three police officers get hurt, 10 people get arrested.

What is wrong with this world? Why, in godsname, would someone attack or hinder the personnel of an ambulance. Those people are there to help and should be supported and applauded... There is a trend in attacks on and hinder of ambulance personnel lately in the Netherlands. No one seems to know where it comes from, but more and more of these incidents are reported. One of the political parties asked for police escorts every time an ambulance has to ride out, but that has been rejected by our minister as there isn't enough police capacity to do this.

To all the idiots (both in the Netherlands and in the rest of the world): let those people do their jobs and get a life!

Testbunny

2006-09-30T14:53:00.000+02:00

I am a testbunny again and therefore haven't posted for a while. I am in a clinic since a week ago and am here till Friday. Not a clue what I am testing, as I never really care. I am just here to make some easy money. We all die some day, so why not risk a bit more (although I do not see this testing of medicines as very risky)?

Being here you do start to appreciate the simple things in life: open toiletblocks, decide for yourself how many slices of bread you will take, how much needles can hurt, and getting up when you want (or sometimes have to..).

It is fun here though as I can study, read my email and the newspaper, watch TV and DVDs, play pool or pingpong, play games and sleep. :-) You are being lived here though, as I have to eat at specific times, give blood, lie on the bed for an ECG, get my bloodpressure measured, and more stuff. The fact remains, that I make more than 100Euro/day here, so why not? :-)

PS: I haven't been sick or anything and only had to throw up during one study of the 10+ I have participated in.

Pictures

2006-09-18T14:33:00.000+02:00

As you can see from the pictures I just posted, I love to take pictures of people when they are not aware that they are being photographed. It makes the pictures a lot more natural and real in my opinion. A friend of mine told me once: "Lily: a picture needs to hold a story in order to be good." I agree that for a lot of pictures, a story is needed to give an explanation or extra meaning/dimension, but pictures of people can just be beautiful by itself. In my humble opinion that is...

2006-09-18T14:31:00.000+02:00

Himba woman.

2006-09-18T14:30:00.000+02:00

Himba Unawareness.

2006-09-18T14:27:00.000+02:00

Music in the Wind

2006-09-18T14:26:00.000+02:00

Slovenian Unawareness.

2006-09-18T14:12:00.000+02:00

Unaware Jaume.

2006-09-18T14:11:00.001+02:00

Another sneaky one.

2006-09-18T14:09:00.000+02:00

Just a sneaky-shot.

2006-09-18T14:07:00.000+02:00

Just a nice picture of Borja.

Hockey season

2006-09-18T14:03:00.000+02:00

My team is determined to end first in the competition this year and I have to say that we have some good chances for that. Unfortunately, we dropped some points yesterday, as we drew 2-2. Not the best of matches I agree, but my team got nerved by the referees and got rather frustrated. At a certain moment we even played with 9 for 5 minutes, so I am just happy that we drew 2-2, but it could and should have easily been 1-3 for us. Hope we will get some decent referees when we play them at the home match.