home alone

Hoorn was just too far from the civilization. There weren't much to do nor see anymore. I had to move. And move did I. A modest, decent (ok, run-of-the-mill) apartment was what I found North of Amsterdam just 10mins from Amsterdam Centraal Station by bus and a stone's throw away from the mall-like centrum. Thanks Gina! For only 350 Euros/month for the whole apartment, I couldn't whine. Looked a little neglected but far from falling into a state of deterioration. The walls were murked by dirt, stain or impurities, screaming "Clean Me Up!"

So clean up I did the day after Dutch-Pinoy friends Eloy and Zaldy big-helped me move in. And after a whole day of cleaning, it was restored to its next-to-original state. I sat down on once-stinky sofa and marvelled at how comfortable the place now seemed to have turned out to be. Home for the next I dunno months. And alone. Aaah, means more time can be spent with Ayn Rand, DVDs, and my brushes. Painting. That, I miss.

who painted the town white?

An hour past lunch time yesterday, I started getting ready for a walk toward TNT Post. I set out with the weather being fine--sunny, not so cold--putting on just three layers of clothing. Neighbors' kids were out and about. Happy day it was. Minutes of walking and the weather just started to change. And it was unbelievable how that could happen quickly! What was sparsely clouded skies with the sun blazing, rays unimpeded minutes back was now totally covered with dark clouds. Very cold winds started to blow. It was gonna rain. I hastened my foot-steps yet minutes later found myself still walking and running this time thru the large frozen raindrops. So this is snow, I thought. Hail, make that. I was caught in hail!

I braved through it now that I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, I was inside TNT Post, a warm and cozy place! It felt great. I started to feel my ears again! It didn´t take long before I got what I wanted. Almost outside, I could see hail had stopped already. So it waited for me to be inside for it to stop, huh? Will it start to pour again the moment I step outside?, I thought for a second. I started to feel I was attracting hail here. Oh thanks goodness I wasn´t. Made my way to Lidl for some grocery, later checked out DVDs at Blokker. Aaah, sure I wasn´t attracting hail. I was only troubled on my way back by cold winds.

Now back at Tita Butch´s humble abode. A glance at the toilet's mirror revealed my reddening ears. Maybe I should get some of those snow hats that say Amsterdamn! Thought of taking a shot of what was left of hail outside but you just could see signs of it this time, melted.

The following day, I woke up to a beautiful morning! Our apartment being on the third floor, I could see roofs of neighboring houses, tops of cars and bushes all partly covered with white! I opened the kitchen door for some really fresh air. It was really cold. I didn´t mind. It was the kind that is crisp, fresh. Doesn´t make you sick. I was about to close the kitchen door when white-colored flakes started to fall from the skies. Light as a feather, they came down slowly in the wind´s direction. Beautiful. Now that´s snow.

Craving for Rice

I frequent Deen for great grocery buys--fresh vegetables, meat, and everything else a supermarket sells. Though a bit pricey than rival Lidl, it's less expensive compared to Albert Heijn. Besides, it's only a five-minute walk from my apartment.

Two weeks of bread. Not that I'm complaining. In fact, I'm used to using fork and knife already in every meal. Just late this afternoon, after doing the laundry, I craved for rice! Thinking Deen sells rice although at an intimidating price and packaging, I was heading toward Deen's in no time. Just a few steps off the doors of my apartment, I thought of this Vietnamese store I would pass by going home walking from the bus stop. I figured rice could be sold there and at a much lower price. Oh yes indeed! Only, in increments of 20kgs. With what was available there and thinking of whats left in the fridge I thought of a recipe impromptu. Something close to eating rice.

I ate 3/4 of it already when I thought of taking a picture of it. Here's what's left of it:



Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 medium-size onion chopped
1/4 kilo of ground pork
100 grams of Soepgroenten (mixed chopped vegetables for soup--I removed celery)
1 pack IndoMie Beef Noodles (like LuckyMe in Pinas). Set aside seasoning.
60 grams of tauge (they sell that here)
cayenne pepper and ground pepper
salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Heat pan. Pour 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil. Saute garlic and onion. When a little brown, put ground pork. Add salt.
2. When pork's cooked, add the Soepgroenten. Stir.
3. Add the IndoMie noodle--soaked in hot water for 5 minutes prior. Add olive oil if already dry. Stir.
4. If noodle is almost cooked, add tauge. Stir until cooked.
5. Add 3/4 of the noodle's seasoning.
6. Season with cayenne pepper and ground pepper.

Eet smakkelink!

Oh Holland!

I've been here for two weeks almost. By far, I've toured almost three quarters of the whole of The Netherlands. There's the metropolitan Rotterdam, a port South of Holland. There's also The Hague, which is a fusion of the old and the new. And of course, you have Amsterdam that´s very romantic with lovely canals middling towering medieval buildings of earthy colors. I could just walk all day and marvel at the sights of this superb biking and strolling city with endless captivating views.

Too bad I live 30mins away by train. Or not bad after all. As on foot, I've already roamed around the entire Hoorn--the city where I live, North of Holland. It´s a quiet, very clean and organized city complete with everything I need. Not to mention the very friendly people. What can I say? Holland is heaven on earth! I want to live here for the rest of my life!