Interior Lulus... part 5 and 6

"If you can carry it out you can take it away.
If you can carry it out you can take it away.
If you can buy it, it can be bought.
If you can buy it, it can be stolen.
If you can break it.
It's already broken...."

There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze...

Only 33 days more days...

In nearly a month I will be leaving Brighton and the UK to move back to The Netherlands. Sometimes in life you have to make difficult choices with your heart and this is one of these moments again. Due to circumstances I have to go to The Netherlands but I am sure I will be back here. Brighton has earned itself a place in my heart. I have seen lots of places of the world but living in Brighton has been the first time I felt at home and at ease. I grew up in a hamlet of about 2000 inhabitants in the South of The Netherlands with just one pub (which burned down by the way so now the most exciting place to be is the chips shop!). Countryside where you need a car to get your shopping done and so close to Belgium you could almost see it when you looked out your window. I used to call it the end of the world... When I first moved to Brighton I thought I would have lots of problems adapting to living in such a big town. But it has been a very easy process I have to admit. I have come to love Brighton because of its open attitude and even found a football club that gave me the opportunity to coach football and share my experience with them. The mix of so many different cultures and nationalities makes it very comfortable to live. Brighton also has many unique selling points which make living here very pleasant: the beautiful street life, the festivals, the numerous pubs scattered across town, the lovely parks, the buskers, the coffee bars, the quality restaurants, the tea houses, the sea front, the nice shops, the excellent public transport, the Pavillion, both the piers, the Turkish barbers, the Brighton Wheel, Kemp Town, The Lanes, the Downs, the Marina, the second hand book shops, the Brighton and Hove Albions with their enthousiastic fans and amazing Amex Stadium, but also the thousands of seagulls with their continuous poo bombing, also the winter storms at sea and surely all the thousands of tourists that come to witness the beauty of this town. But all these things would mean nothing without the people that give this town its vibe and diversity. All the best places in the world are created by the people who live there. In New Zealand the Maori have a saying which sums up how I feel about Brighton and about what I am going to miss most of this unique gem: the wonderful people I got to know in the past 3 years...

"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!"

(Translation: What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!)

To all the beautiful people I have met in the past 3 years: I would like to thank you for your hospitality, your open and direct approach which is very pleasant for a Dutch person but most of all your willingness to embrace life to the fullest. Without you it would not have been the same. You have shown me an important lesson! I will be back!!!

"In the summer I can taste the salt of the sea.
There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze.
I wonder what's gonna happen to you.
You wonder what has happened to me..."

Alan Watts: What do you really desire?

Interesting speech of Alan Watts. Great eyeopener!

"It's better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spending in a miserable way."

Project The Big Move has started!

After making the decision to move back to Holland my preparations for the big move have started this week. Last week I have given notice at work, ended all contracts and planned the move.

With my upcoming move I have to mention my best friend because without him it would be a hell of a mission. In life we meet so many people but most of them end up as Facebook contacts so you can stay in contact and catch up when you are close again. And sometimes people stay in your life because they have a certain character and vision on life that connects with yours. In life you don't need a lot of friends in my opinion, just a few really good ones. And I am blessed with having met some interesting people who will stay...

Thanks Algo for being there to help me move. It's amazing to know I have you as a friend...

You only hate a road when you're missing home...

Accepting other people's choices can be hard sometimes. Even though you can see a different solution or outcome the other person can decide to take a totally different road than you planned. Acceptance is the key word. When accepting decisions you don't carry the load of your disagreement with you and you will be able to look into the future clearer.

You only know your lover when you let her go. So you let her go...

If the shoe fits,wear it...

"Cynt y cyferfydd dau ddyn na dau fynydd." - Welsh proverb
 (Translation: Two men will meet sooner than two mountains)

There are some things that are impossible, like an encounter of mountains, but there is always a chance for people to meet. So whenever you feel like it is too hard to keep the faith remember things happen for a reason and at the end the journey is always more important.

Food for Thoughts

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start."

The Enemy Within... Retrospective

In times like these I am truly surprised by peoples ignorance. Banks have been manipulating the system and trying to squeeze the financial sponge for so long that people (read: governments) actually think at the moment the banks are in such big problems that we should indeed help them... forgetting that they caused these problems themselves and are now expecting governments (read: people) to keep feeding their need for more profit and liquidity. And since these banks are holding together because of just one main thing which is money of other people, they are creating the perfect situation for their demands: fear!  People feel very uncomfortable when in fear. My guess is that soon this situation will solve itself. Banks can't possibly keep pushing the limits. And people will stand up...

"I'm not giving up to security under pressure.
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure.
I'm not giving in to implausible dreams.
Experience to extremes.
Experience to extremes..."

from: The Enemy Within -  Rush

Plunging into the pool...

How life can change dramatically...

On the 13th of July 2012 I took a very radical decision. One of the toughest in my life. In the period after that decision it felt like I had fallen into an endless dark pit. And every week it seemed that the bottom of the pit would come soon and would hit me hard... And suddenly after an seemingly eternal fall I plunged into a pool of refreshing water. Bedazzled I rose to the surface of the pool and was surprised by my surroundings. Instead of hitting the bottom and hurting like hell I ended up in this wonderful pool of energising water. I got washed and cleaned from everything I had been dragging along for so long. Absolutely refreshed and full of energy I stood at the side of the pool looking up towards the light coming from the hole through which I had fallen. The sky looked bright blue but yet so far away...

Next to pool there was an elevator and the sign on one of the doors said:

"Elevator to succes not working today. Please take the stairs: step by step..."

So I started climbing the stairs and making my way up again. And at some point I will get to the top of the pit and will be able to look at the world as I did once before: expecting miracles every day!

Homeward bound...

Today my last day at the office. And tomorrow I will go to to The Netherlands for a 12 days visit. It's about time I had a long break. In the 2 years I have been living in Brighton this will be the first time I will have more than 10 days off.

It will be time to reveal some interesting news and make decisions...