This odd man waits every morning opposite my train-track. He reads the newspaper and moves back and forth against the blue back-light.
My intuition tells me that this is actually a piece of art. Is it to mock us commuters? To confront us with ourselves? And our boring and predictable lives? A quick google-tour didn't deliver any hits, so maybe one of these days I will go over to check if there is a plaque. Then I can properly quote the artist.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Free the world...? with Free hugs?
I was lucky enough to get to spend one weekend in HK as I was there for work. So as any good HK citizen I set-out for my mega shopping-trip on saturday (not necessarily to buy anything) after a while and for sure if you are alone, something like that can start to feel quite shallow, plain empty. and lonely. So I was greatly surprised when I turned the corner to the Times Square and I encountered the Free hugs campaign in action. Right there. I had never seen the free hugs before.
well as I just explained I was somewhat in need for a hug, and went right up-there to get one!Free Hugs feel good! even though they are given by a stranger you can instantly feel the warmth and kindness beaming at you. I think in the West, some countries more than others, hugs are a pretty normal way of greeting, at least amongst friends and family. In Asia though you see less hugs generally speaking, so that made it even more special to get a hug on Times Square by a HongKong citizen, me being a complete stranger.
Later I got to know that Free Hugs is a non-commercial, non-religious initiatives, started to simply make the world a better place. That feels good.
well as I just explained I was somewhat in need for a hug, and went right up-there to get one!Free Hugs feel good! even though they are given by a stranger you can instantly feel the warmth and kindness beaming at you. I think in the West, some countries more than others, hugs are a pretty normal way of greeting, at least amongst friends and family. In Asia though you see less hugs generally speaking, so that made it even more special to get a hug on Times Square by a HongKong citizen, me being a complete stranger.
Later I got to know that Free Hugs is a non-commercial, non-religious initiatives, started to simply make the world a better place. That feels good.
 |
| Free hugs |
 |
| Free hugs |
Friday, December 19, 2008
Nukohiva
I came across this new shop concept when I was strolling through Utrecht to buy christmas pressies. actually what caught my eye first was the poem on the side of the building; Modern technology owes ecology an apology. That made me think. I was positively surprised that this was a new shop that sources and sells responsible fashion. fashion made by etnic minorities like Indians knitting sweaters in Peru. etcetc. and many of the things being sold reasonably fahsionable, completely not the boring responsible "green" design which turns so many people off. Green has to be appealing if it wants to survive and make a chance of appealing to more people than the happy few die-hards.
 | |
| Nukohiva by Floortje Dessing in Utrecht |
 |
| Nukohiva by Floortje Dessing in Utrecht |
Sunday, June 8, 2008
The story about the golden Hunkemuller bikini and the influence of the neo-conservative religious parties
One would think that with all the bubbling (Dutchlish) ladies in very little clothes that you can see around the clock on MTV and TMF, that a billboard advertising of a lady dressed up in a golden bikini would make anybody lie awake at night. But no, when Hunkemuller put their shot for their golden bikini billboard size on the facade in one of the busiest shopping streets in Utrecht(see pic), the Christian Union (they are a small party that glues the current government together) tried to get it banned via the city-council.
Of course this got a lot of media coverage I guess many people just find it hard to understand why this is wrong but nobody seem to be doing much to interfere with Porno-parties, Sex-for-a-breezer and the already mentioned R&B bikini-ladies.
Now this weekend there was a piece in the newspaper about that one should make a clear distinction between public opinion and governmental influence. So the Hunkemuller is a clear example of the Christian Union using their influence in government to impose on the rest of us (representing the public opinion) their ultra-conservative world-views. Particularly defending these when they threaten to saw demise in the good old institute the family.
All of that for a golden bikini, I think Hunkemuller must have been happy with the extra attention and PR. Golden bikinis probably sold beyond expectations.
Victor & Rolf adventures and in-house counterfeit
I joined the crowds for the Victor & Rolf sale in H&M, and actually I managed to get into the shop even though I had only arrived in-front of the shop at 9:30.
Actually I was a bit embarrassed of myself joining the consumer-craze and my embarrassment became a bit bigger when I realized that the employees of H&M where standing on the stair-case photographing us the crowd as we got projectiled into the shop when the doors opened. Everybody seemed to just throw themselves at the goods and try to get what they could. I didn't notice any serious hamstering (Dutschlish) as I read about later in the media. I did hear people (read women) scream out loud because they had manage to obtain an item of desire (i.e. wedding-dress). I guess I must have got caught away by the mass-hysteria because eventually I also ended up leaving the shop with many more items than I had planned, and I don't even particularly like Victor & Rolf.
So of course after having sobered up and looking over my new possessions I decided I needed to get rid of them again, either because they where really not fitting, really not my style or just because I don't really appreciate neo-classistic fashion. So I eventually I sold off the items on Marktplaats all for the price I had originally payed. The remainder of what I didn't sell on Marktplaats I returned to the shop. H&M has a decent right of returning goods until one month after purchase. When returning it in the shop I overheard one sales-person says to the other sales-person; "hey but what are we going to do with this stuff now, when the hype is all over?"
I just thought, well guys that's your problem, and does it mean that by now it's not an as attractive piece of fashion anymore? Will nobody want it now, 1 month after the hyped introduction? Or has the quality/price ration decreased dramatically by now?
My adventures left me with just one piece of attractive fashion in my cupboard, a skirt that I bought by mistake thinking it was Victor & Rolf, but actually it was H&M Victor & Rolf styled look. An in-house counterfeit one could say...
Friday, June 15, 2007
Eating flowers
Cookies made with lavender? Cookies made with roses? I was lucky enough to be in Paris last month, and just by coincidence passed this pastries shop in the street. They where selling cookies with lavender and roses as ingredients. Not the most traditional cookie ingredient, but why not, I have a book at home about how to cook with weed too. But the idea of lavender and roses is slightly more enchanting, it makes you feel a little bit like entering the universe of a fee or princess.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
World-of-Coffee, Bern, Switzerland
The beverage industry seem to be having a hard time reaching the youth you observe if you have a look at all the more recent products launces attempts at pleasing the youth. Cola Blak, a coffee essented soft drink or Café Fresco ice coffee in a ready-to-go cardboard cup from the cool-shelve. The youth allegedly dislike warm drinks because they are not refreshing and dislike the bitterness of coffee preferring sweet.
Speaking about coffee, there was certainly something boiling at the World-of-Coffee in Bern in May, something that must be reaching out to another audience than the Bacardi Breezer youth. The World-of-Coffee is an annually returning fair, every year it takes place in a different city, this year 9300 attendees. At the fair The world championship of Barrista and the world Championship of latte art is held, yes you heard me right! Complete with fan-crowds in supporter t-shirts, real-time big screen projection, jury and participants from different countries.
This year Klaus Thomson from Denmark won The World Championship Barrista. Now Denmark is not exactly the first country that comes to mind when one thinks about sophisticated coffee drinks, theatrical coffee bars and coffee connoisseurship. And what may also sound unbelievable is that that Stockholm has one of the most vibrant of coffee cultures in Europe according to the Wallpaper Navigator. So the phenomenon of the new coffee culture is reaching far beyond the borders of the traditional caffionista countries like Italy, France and Spain. And the new coffee drinking seems to be about something quite different to the traditional coffees served in Mediterranean countries. The new coffee culture includes drinks like Frappuccinos (milk slush w/instant coffee) or Expressionista (ice expresso w/jasmine and maple syrup) something that would only make the head of an Italian shake disapprovingly. The Italians are all about refining the classic recipes to perfection.
OK, back to the world-of-coffee even if we still fail to understand how this event is sponsored, it certainly is for sure it does a good job at pulling coffee drinking to another level, a level beyond the social lubricant, inoffensive, breaking-the-ice-drink that coffee is often tagged as in Northern Europe. Firstly there was the already mentioned hyped World Championship Barrista, there was the coffee tasting panels, coffee conferences, coffee workshops and as it suits a fair; exhibitions by different companies and producers of hard- and software.
The coffee tasting panel was a row of tables of people in white jackets very laboratory like. Different crops of coffee was tasted and given points. The jury would not just sit and drink coffee cosily, they where tasting the coffee in a way that could only remind me of how a wine-connoisseur would taste a glass a wine, carefully noting down all the different sensory experiences that the coffee would cause. Talking about the origins of the coffee using wine-like vocabulary: Cru and Grand Cru. An activity obviously being taken very, very serious by the panel members.
The coffee conferences where arranged around 3 themes; Traceability, Origin Countries, how to be a winner and the best cup; all offering a day of lectures around the theme. We had the opportunity to attend 2 lectures; the history of Cappuccino and CoSIC, the worldwide panel of coffee scientists. Joanne Smits sr. product designer for Espresso listened to “the history of cappuccino” and learned that the current coffee rave has a lot to thank to the Italian immigrants in the North-West of US. They imported Italian espresso machines with dual boiler systems and re-interpreted Italian coffee culture to a US-version that includes softening the taste by increasing the use of hot milk, making the drinks healthier by using low-fat milk and creating a cosy atmosphere with sofas that invite for longer visits.
I listened to CoSIC, the worldwide panel of Coffee Scientists that statistically proven does a great job at converting the public opinion about coffee. Whenever some bad publicity is in the media the panel of coffee scientists step forward and publish their scientifically correct contra propaganda; the not assuming but really researched knowledge about coffees effect on the human body etcetc.
The where workshops in the areas of roasting and grinding, brewing, Barista grinding, tasting, ingredients, home equipment and coffee recipes etc. co-ordinated by experts in the filed. The workshop “cooking with coffee” was given by Chefs from “Cercle de Chefs de Cuisine de Berne”, who taught how to create coffee-flavoured sauces to serve with your roast.
So when some people say that coffee drinking is on the way to becoming the new red wine one could follow the lead after having visited the world-of-coffee which certainly leaves one thinking that the art of coffee making and drinking is being elevated to a higher level involving sophistication and connoisseurship.
www.worldofcoffee.org
www.coffeegeek.com
www.worldbaristachampionship.com
www.world-latteart-championship.com
Speaking about coffee, there was certainly something boiling at the World-of-Coffee in Bern in May, something that must be reaching out to another audience than the Bacardi Breezer youth. The World-of-Coffee is an annually returning fair, every year it takes place in a different city, this year 9300 attendees. At the fair The world championship of Barrista and the world Championship of latte art is held, yes you heard me right! Complete with fan-crowds in supporter t-shirts, real-time big screen projection, jury and participants from different countries.
 |
| The Crowd |
 |
| The Crowd |
 |
This year Klaus Thomson from Denmark won The World Championship Barrista. Now Denmark is not exactly the first country that comes to mind when one thinks about sophisticated coffee drinks, theatrical coffee bars and coffee connoisseurship. And what may also sound unbelievable is that that Stockholm has one of the most vibrant of coffee cultures in Europe according to the Wallpaper Navigator. So the phenomenon of the new coffee culture is reaching far beyond the borders of the traditional caffionista countries like Italy, France and Spain. And the new coffee drinking seems to be about something quite different to the traditional coffees served in Mediterranean countries. The new coffee culture includes drinks like Frappuccinos (milk slush w/instant coffee) or Expressionista (ice expresso w/jasmine and maple syrup) something that would only make the head of an Italian shake disapprovingly. The Italians are all about refining the classic recipes to perfection.
 |
| UK’s Jame Hofman during WCB |
 |
| The Jury evaluates |
 |
| Cafe Latte Art |
OK, back to the world-of-coffee even if we still fail to understand how this event is sponsored, it certainly is for sure it does a good job at pulling coffee drinking to another level, a level beyond the social lubricant, inoffensive, breaking-the-ice-drink that coffee is often tagged as in Northern Europe. Firstly there was the already mentioned hyped World Championship Barrista, there was the coffee tasting panels, coffee conferences, coffee workshops and as it suits a fair; exhibitions by different companies and producers of hard- and software.
The coffee tasting panel was a row of tables of people in white jackets very laboratory like. Different crops of coffee was tasted and given points. The jury would not just sit and drink coffee cosily, they where tasting the coffee in a way that could only remind me of how a wine-connoisseur would taste a glass a wine, carefully noting down all the different sensory experiences that the coffee would cause. Talking about the origins of the coffee using wine-like vocabulary: Cru and Grand Cru. An activity obviously being taken very, very serious by the panel members.
The coffee conferences where arranged around 3 themes; Traceability, Origin Countries, how to be a winner and the best cup; all offering a day of lectures around the theme. We had the opportunity to attend 2 lectures; the history of Cappuccino and CoSIC, the worldwide panel of coffee scientists. Joanne Smits sr. product designer for Espresso listened to “the history of cappuccino” and learned that the current coffee rave has a lot to thank to the Italian immigrants in the North-West of US. They imported Italian espresso machines with dual boiler systems and re-interpreted Italian coffee culture to a US-version that includes softening the taste by increasing the use of hot milk, making the drinks healthier by using low-fat milk and creating a cosy atmosphere with sofas that invite for longer visits.
I listened to CoSIC, the worldwide panel of Coffee Scientists that statistically proven does a great job at converting the public opinion about coffee. Whenever some bad publicity is in the media the panel of coffee scientists step forward and publish their scientifically correct contra propaganda; the not assuming but really researched knowledge about coffees effect on the human body etcetc.
The where workshops in the areas of roasting and grinding, brewing, Barista grinding, tasting, ingredients, home equipment and coffee recipes etc. co-ordinated by experts in the filed. The workshop “cooking with coffee” was given by Chefs from “Cercle de Chefs de Cuisine de Berne”, who taught how to create coffee-flavoured sauces to serve with your roast.
So when some people say that coffee drinking is on the way to becoming the new red wine one could follow the lead after having visited the world-of-coffee which certainly leaves one thinking that the art of coffee making and drinking is being elevated to a higher level involving sophistication and connoisseurship.
www.worldofcoffee.org
www.coffeegeek.com
www.worldbaristachampionship.com
www.world-latteart-championship.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
