Ten things to do before I die..

(in no particular order)

1. Jump off a plane and go sky diving...solo.
2. Ride a camel across the Sahara Desert.
3. Scuba dive in the tropics.
4. Live in Europe.
5. Vacation in the Greek islands
6. Build a house...for myself or for someone else.
7. Visit at least one country in every continent.
8. Go Zorbing across an open field.
9. Take a cooking course in the Italian countryside.
10. Start my own business.
Numbers 1 to 4 have been done...still working on the others.

lost memories

My laptop's hard drive crashed the other day, and had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the data was unrecoverable. Two year's worth of data...gone. I'm crushed! My portfolio, various digital projects, client work, personal work...all gone. And I didn't have the sense to back-up my files. What kills me most are the two years' worth of photos that i've lost. Memories which I still cling to, but can never be regained in a photograph.

Makes me think of families that lose everything they own in house fires. Though nowhere near as drastic, I'm mourning my own loss. Photographs of friends, cherished moments, of laughter, of tears...

Losing my data, shredding a pair of expensive jeans in Belgium, and losing two pairs of designer sunglasses since I've moved to Europe are only teaching me not to cling to tightly to material possessions. Life is about the experiences gained from it, not about the prizes that you take home.

thoughts of home

I shot this photo at a get together last week, at Mags' place in Den Haag. This was the start of the evening...cold drinks, lots of goodies to snack on, great friends, and plenty of laughter.

I won't lie, there are days where I look around me and freak out a little bit when I realize I'm not in familiar surroundings, but I'm so thankful for the people that I've met here. A new community of friends that has made the transition so much easier than I would have imagined.

I sat in the shower late last night until I got all pruney thinking about my move, and how long I'll be here, and if it will ever feel like home. And I realized that it doesn't really matter. Home is where I choose to make it. And for now, at least, this is home.

hmmm...

Not sure what to make of this sculpture that sits at the entrance to Westbroek Park in The Hague. I looked for a plaque that might give some sort of clue, but couldn't fine anything. I knew the Dutch were very liberal and tolerant, but seriously!

keen on keane

I've been sick the past few days, so haven't felt much like blogging. I'm still hacking away, but feel obligated to at least post some photos. Here's one from Werchter. Mags and I were in the front row for Keane, and they played a rocking set. They also had a catwalk that went out into the audience, and played an acoustic bit there, which was fantastic.

synchronicity

I have my Google homepage set to tell me the daily weather forecasts for three of the places that I consider home. This morning, as I was checking my e-mail, I found this on the homepage. Perhaps it's just me, but I find it kind of strange that the weather on the west coast of Canada, the east coast of the US, and western Europe are pretty much the same this weekend. Like the stars have somehow aligned to ensure that the weather patterns are somehow synchronised.