She works hard for the money.

Day 8: Work

The next cartoon shows how I feel when I work on projects.

So true.:(

The cartoon is from Barcelona based artist Alex Noriega. Lasts christmas I was given a gelaskin, designed by Alex Noriega, for my iPad because I managed to drop the iPad during an electricity shortage. Till this day I've covered the huge dent with a cheesy lady bug sticker. It was time for a professional cover.

Maybe I should find a real job next year. A job that pays minimum wage but at least you get paid for the hours you work. My goal is to buy a house but that's impossible if you earn next to nothing.:( I don't understand why houses are still so expensive when the current home owners can't really afford to pay off their mortgage. They rather wait for a fool with way too much money to rescue them from their overvalued bricks than lower their price of their house. So basically a lot of people live in a situation next to bankrupcy because they have gambled with their debt. In the west we think we are rich but we are rich on paper. The bank crisis showed us we all live with a debt (student loans, mortgage, personal loans, etc ...) Your house is yours when you have paid of your loan. Besides that we all are paying off our country's state debt. I don't really want to know how much that is. TOO Much if you ask me. But we all want solid high ways, the public transport to be on time and we take care of the poor.

Today there was an item on the Dutch news about poverty in The Netherlands. We have about 1.000.000 people living under the poverty line. I wonder how many people in The Netherlands are really poor. The item showed a woman with a 17 years old son with a household income of € 1.100,- per month. I was like, I don't earn a lot but my life is less depressing than hers. Sometimes I refuse work so I can go on vacation. This year three times (Barcelona & Toulouse, Berlin and Mexico).XD I know, it's decadent.:/ Besides that, if I ever dare to ask for social support, my mother will personally kick me in the @** like they do it in Street Fighter, Tekken or Mortal Kombat games. Trust me, my mom is a trained ninja.;)

2012 is going to be a tough year for everyone I guess. If I'm going to find more work I'm actually going to improve my financial situation. Two things are for sure. I'm going to boost up my investment portfolio and my emergengy fund. So to save money I've bought a crisis proof christmas tree (never bought a christmas tree on my own before. So this is my first christmas tree ever).^____^

The christmas balls are from my friends J & M. They gave me an emergengy food package . My birthday invitation said something like: I have everything so I don't need anything but if you feel the urge to give me something, food for my food supply for a potential zombie apocalypse would be nice (no idea what to do with the christmas balls by then).

I also asked for toilet paper especially this one.

You can get a refund if you buy this overexpensive toilet paper (€ 3,99 0_o). So basically my guests could have given me a super cheap gift. Only one guest gave me toilet paper but he has bought another brand. But I guess no one really buys toilet paper as a birthday gift. Would be insane if you really did that ...

I also don't have to worry about sweets, Sinterklaas gave me enough to last till 2012.

And this is just a cookie. It's twice my head. Crazy Frisian people.:D

Last year's speculaaspop (speculoos doll). Didn't have the patience to take a picture this year. I'm wearing a work uniform underneath the fleece jacket so I look a bit fat. Maybe I was having my fat day. Maybe, maybe not. And my hair is like that because I was wearing a hat outside. It was snowing. I don't know about you but I'd rather have static hair than a cold and make other people sick because of my vanity. You are welcome.

Loneliness/eenzaamheid

I can't remember if I ever wrote a haul before but I wanna give some kudos to the IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam). A very nice lady at their office has managed to find a short movie I saw some years ago at the festival. Before you watch the movie below I want to point out the importance to keep your family and friends close. I work with drug addicts, alcoholics and mostly lonely people. Most of them don't have contact with their family and the friends they have are people like them, from the street. Yesterday a visitor of the soup kitchen gave me a hugh and a kiss on my cheeck for just asking how he was. So heart breaking.:(
Ik weet niet of ik al eerder een haul heb gedaan maar ik wil graag mijn kostbare whuffies aan het IFFR (Internationaal Film Festival Rotterdam)geven. Een aardige mevrouw op hun kantoor heeft de moeite genomen om de naam van een korte film op te zoeken, die ik daar een aantal jaren terug heb gezien. Voor je de film hieronder gaat zien, wil ik je erop attenderen dat het van belang is om contact te houden met jouw familie en vrienden. Ik werk in de drugspastoraat. De meeste bezoekers zijn gebruikers en vaak ook eenzaam. Ze hebben meestal geen contact met familie en de vrienden die ze nog hebben zijn meestal ook van de straat. Niet echt een goed vooruitzicht.

Don't forget to check on your neighbours once in a while. Or if you haven't alreaydy spoken to them, invite them for a cup of coffee/tea. Maybe you will end up hitchhiking to Berlin, like I did with my neighbour RJ. My bff for 3,5 yrs.
Vergeet ook niet regelmatig je buren gedag te zeggen. Of als je ze nog nooit hebt gesproken, een keer uit te nodigen voor een kopje koffie/thee. Misschien gaan jullie wel een keer samen liften naar Berlijn. Zoals mijn buurman RJ en ik dat hebben gedaan. We zijn al 3,5 jaar beste maatjes.

Don't watch the next movie if you're home alone.Onderstaande film niet kijken als je alleen thuis bent.

Buren - korte film from Jamel Aattache on Vimeo.

Really, check on your grandma more often. Bezoek oma wat vaker.:/

Future inspired salvation army corps Leeuwarden

A while back the young folks from the Salvation Army corps Leeuwarden did some filming after the service. It was for a competition from the Salvation Army The Netherlands. They had to show their vision of a possible future church service. Down below the results. I'm in the video several times.

Een tijd terug hebben de jongeren van het Leger des Heils korps Leeuwarden wat rond gefilmd na de kerkdienst. Het was voor een wedstrijd van het Leger des Heils landelijk. De opdracht was hun visie over de toekomstige kerkdienst te laten zien in een Youtube filmpje. Het resultaat zie je hieronder. Ik zit er ook een aantal keren in.

It's in Dutch but it goes something like this:
- first segment is the announcement. Like a joined service in Sweden with brothers and sisters from Corps Stockholm XD, a website for costume made salvationist uniforms and R&B Pop Idols from the Salvation Army international;
- the second segment the reverends enter the service;
- third segment bible reading (everyone was asked to take a laptop or a mobile phone with them to the service the day before. Yes, we are very obedient and mobile sheep ;));
- fourth segment evangelism with Twitter (so cute to see 80-year old brothers and sisters pretending to tweet their thoughts);
- fifth segment, the kids have their own service;
- sixth segment, preach from Hawaii;
- bible study groups about the bible text and
- last segment, end of the service.