Just the way I am...

A telling exchange between me and a colleague:

Christopher: "This whole project is going to be really complicated."
Susan: "Why don't you do something easy?"
Christopher: "Since when do I do easy?"

More Weekend Pictures

At Starbucks, which opened last week at Schiphol Airport. This has the distinction of being the first Starbucks in Holland open to the general public. The other two are at Nike Headquarters in Hilversum and past the security checkpoint at the airport (which means you only get your latte with a a valid plane ticket). This is one of the largest ones I've ever seen, with an impressive extended seating area. WiFi available, but expensive. €12 for 90 minutes, if I remember correctly.

My colleague Karen at work, who has the distinction of being the only other Iowan working at my company. One of my staff refers to the two of us as "Children of the Corn"! :-) This was at the same company outing as with the owl (see below).

Smile for the birdy!

Here I'm getting up close and personal with a huge owl at a company outing on the Dutch island of Terschelling. It was my first trip there, and despite excessive and unannounced sportiness being required of me, I had a great time with my colleagues.

Late Trick Or Treat!

I just got these gorgeous pictures of my niece and nephew Cristián and Merrick from Boston. My nephew was born about 9 weeks prematurely last summer, but doesn't he look FABULOUS next to his blood-sucking big sister? :-) We can't wait to see them at Christmas!

Let the java flow!

From Michael (regarding an earlier post about the Starbucks behind immigration at Schiphol):

Well, after waiting a few months they are finaly opening up 2 more Starbucks in front of security at Schiphol Plaza. One is across from the Burger King, next to Per Tutti, the other (larger) one will be to the far left at arrivals 3 across from the AH and Hema.They are supposed ot open up this Thurseday, November 15th.

I can tell you that this has created quite a bit of excitement within my team at work. We're all Starbucks slaves and love it! And now I have an excuse to take the train to work every day and get some additional exercise by walking to and from the station... and getting off at the airport to go pick up my daily latte (skinny, of course!).

Book Suggestion

One of my best friends from college, Mike (a.k.a. Sister Jennifur Sledge), is partnered with one of the most bitingly funny yet sweet people I think I've ever met, Joel, and he expresses that unique combination of virtues through many different things, including musical theater, teaching, aerobics, go-go dancing, and writing hysterically funny books. His first book, Gay Haiku, was SO funny to ready, it had me in stitches forever, and I hate poetry. A sample:

I don't understand.

You love it when I do that-

Wait, no. That's Stephen.

Well, now he has a new book coming out in May 2008 (see left). I seriously suggest you pre-order it on Amazon and check it out!

You can also check out his website.

Funny Square Bug

Funny Square Bug
Originally uploaded by Krishiqua

I came across this while wandering through the National Botanical Gardens in Singapore. I have never seen anything like it before. Can anyone identify what kind of bug it is?

Ouch!

Makes you wish your name was Vanessa...

Wedding Painting... Finally...

The quality of the photo could be better, but this is our painting that our guests helped paint at our wedding in June, finally hanging on the wall in our living room. The mirror around the outside is our "guest book", signed by everyone who attended our wedding party later that night. We love the fact that we'll be reminded of that special day and our friends and family on a daily basis, and we love Jasper's design, which was then split up into 18 pieces, and one or two of our guests each painted one of the panels (based on a small postage stamp-sized model they had to copy), not knowing what the whole original was supposed to look like. The result was great, but a little uneven, so it's slightly retouched; but the foundation was still made by our loved ones! Thanks to Jasper, Bries, Felix at the Kunstenarij for leading this special activity!

Poessij bij

This is the single most loving and wonderful animal I've ever known. He is so affectionate and well-behaved, sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve him. He's one of my very best friends and he's always there for me. I love you, Angel! :-)

Singapore Orchid Garden

Orchid Garden Entrance
Originally uploaded by Krishiqua

The orchid was declared the national flower of Singapore not all that very long ago and remains one of its biggest exports, sort of like tulips in Holland. This garden was beautiful and huge, but I couldn't stand to spend more than a little while there because it was so warm and humid. Perhaps when I'm another 100 pounds lighter I'll enjoy it more! :-)

Home Sweet Home!

Click to enlarge. Sorry about the Dutch, but after discovering Apple's Comic Life program on my Mac and finally figuring out what it was for, I couldn't resist posting this little experiment I made on the airplane. The first of many, I suspect. :-) It's essentially about my business trip and how much I missed Wilbert, and how happy I am to be home! Ah, newlyweds! :-)

Barry & Christo do Singapore

Our KLM flight attendant friend Barry is in Singapore too, so we went out and had a fun evening after I had my way with the Mac store at Wheelock Place on Orchard Road and Patterson. He bought us tickets to see Stardust, which was surprisingly good and I enjoyed it very much. Good call, sweetie darling! We then went out for steaks, and I ate half my plate as usual, which is just fine! We're going to get together for some shopping tomorrow before heading back to the airport for the long flight home (almost 14 hours!). He's even going to drive me home, which is really sweet of him! We had a really nice talk (he may be Miss Nelly sometimes, but he's got a really good head on his shoulders!) and cleared up some long-standing misconceptions we'd had about each other, which was really great, because Wilbert and I really value his and Richard's friendship. We love you like sisters, boys!

First Leopard in Singapore

I have become an incredible Mac geek/snob in the past six months or so, after having thrown every Microsoft-based PC out of the house (except for Wilbert's) in utter disgust and frustration. Death to Vista.  So I just HAD to be at the Mac store in Singapore to stand in line for the new OS X Leopard operating system. And I was THE FIRST PERSON IN SINGAPORE TO BUY AND INSTALL IT! :-) I also won some prizes for being first! An Apple backpack, coffee mug, notebook, and some other cool swag. Meet some nice people too. Was super fun, and am enjoying it already. 

Singapore

Arrived Tuesday afternoon in Singapore for Global Sales & Marketing Management meeting. Left Amsterdam at 9:30 at night and got in 4:00 the next afternoon after a 12-hour flight on a KLM 777, which was very comfortable. Slept well. 

Singapore is amazing! VERY multi-cultural, VERY Anglo-Asian, VERY modern, and VERY structured, friendly and easy to get around. Love it and will come back. Look it up on Wikipedia if you want to learn about a fascinating place!

iPods are cheap here. Got a 160GB new classic for myself and a 16GB touch for a colleague at work... saved a bundle. Mac OS X Leopard out tonight... will probably go for it despite already having it waiting for me at home. :-)

Keeping pretty well to my diet, though a challenge. Good for me!

Dear friend Barry from Purmerend, KLM flight attendant, arrived yesterday, so we'll hang out after my meeting and all day tomorrow before flying back together tomorrow night! SERIOUS coincidence!

What it's like to work at my company

Enough said.

For Iowans and those who love us!

Only an Iowan would laugh at this one!!!!! And then pass it on to everyone they know in Iowa or anyone they know that has lived in Iowa!

This is so true.......... Jeff Foxworthy says you must be an Iowa if.............

• You've never met any celebrities...and you don't really care.
  
• Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
  
• "Vacation" means driving through the Amanas or going to Adventureland.
  
• You've seen all the biggest bands ten years after they were popular.
  
• You measure distance in minutes.
  
• Down south to you means Missouri.
  
• You know several people who have hit a deer.
  
• You have no problem spelling or pronouncing Des Moines.
  
• Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
  
• Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
  
• You know what "Hawks, Panthers, and Clones" are.
  
• You've ridden the school bus for an hour each way.
  
• You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
  
• You think ethanol makes your truck "run a lot better".
  
• You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.
  
• Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
  
• You see a car running in the parking lot at the Quick Stop with no one in it no matter what time of the year.
  
• You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"
• All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable or animal.
  
• You can locate Iowa on the US map.
  
• Detassling was your first job or that of a brother or sister.
  
• Your idea of a really great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun and accompanied only by ketchup and a dill pickle slice.
  
• You learn your pickup will run without a muffler.
  
• You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
  
• When asked how your trip was to any foreign, exotic place, you say "It was different".
  
• You consider being called a "Pork Queen" an honor.
  
• You carry jumper cables in your car.
  
• You drink "pop".
  
• You know what the numbers 80, 35, 280 and 380 mean.
  
• You know what "cow chips" are.
• You actually understand these statements and pass them on to all your Iowa friends.

My TV Shows

Here's what I watch. Any other hot tips?

Shows with Hot Angsty Boys

• Smallville (Kryptonian cute!)
• Supernatural (hot brother-on-brother action!)
• Dexter (munchy mass murderer!)
• Kyle XY (cute pseudo-teenage chicken!)
• Journeyman (butch Rome guy!)

Get Real!

• America's Next Top Model (embarrassing but helped with the wedding pictures!)
• American Idol
• The X Factor (British American Idol with Simon Cowell, Dani Minogue, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh)
• Dancing with the Stars (new!)
• Survivor 438: The Ghetto

Sci Fi Fabulous

• Stargate Atlantis
• Heroes
• Battlestar Galactica
• Eureka
• Ghost Whisperer
• Medium
• Doctor Who
• Torchwood

My Bitches

• Desperate Housewives (multi-bitch extravaganza)
• Bones (especially Angela Attitude)
• Dirt (Courtney is the uber-bitch!)
  
• Dead Like Me 
• America's Next Top Model

Crime

• CSI Las Vegas
• CSI Miami
• CSI New York (sort of)
• CSI West Des Moines
• CSI Timbuktu

Doing great!

Hey y'all, whassup?!?!

Life here is good. Week 3 post-surgery and feeling great!

Catch-up

Work is crazy right now - had to cancel a trip to London at the last minute because there's so much going on at work I need to take care of, but the good news is that I have the energy to take it on! Took me about 2-3 weeks to bounce back, but I'm good now!

Had some dear friends over from the U.S. (Las Vegas and San Francisco) to visit. We spent a gorgeous Saturday together weekend before last. It was great that both the ladies had had weight-loss surgery as well (2-3 years ago) and had booked impressive results - like 250 lbs. between the two of them. They were great support. Was fun to see you, Karen & John and Virginia & Michael!

In the retail therapy department, I've now definitively tossed all Windows-based PC's out of the house (except Wilbert's) and am now running three Mac's and a total Apple ecosystem with AppleTV and iPod's. LOVE IT! It actually works with very little trouble. Once I'd converted to Vista, I'd totally lost faith in PC's. The Dutch Consumer Protection Union has even called for a boycott of Vista because there have been so many complaints. My latest addition is a 24-inch new iMac... LOVE IT! Takes up next to no space and is gorgeous. Multi-tasks like a dream (mostly) and have finally completed the first wedding video (NL version) with it. So from now on, call me Big Mac Daddy! But in about a year you'll have to start cutting out the "Big" part. :-)

Yesterday had my first truly solid meal in three weeks. 100 grams of beef tenderloin (tiny), a sweet potato and mixed steamed veggies. I was in heaven! Tasted better than anything I'd ever eaten. And I handled it just fine and was also totally satisfied. Hope this continues!

One problem I have is that after a couple weeks of inactivity (except for some good walks), my back is pretty weak about about 5 a.m., no matter what position I've been sleeping in, it starts to hurt. Sometimes I can get back to sleep, sometimes not, so haven't been sleeping very well as a result. Think I'll go to physical therapy again.

Starting to enjoy Joost (not the guy who works for me, the Internet video service!). Sort of cool to have in a window on my desktop while I'm writing or surfing. Give it a try.

That's the general update for now! Oh, also welcome to our new little neighbor baby, Jason and congratulations Darren and Annette!

Back to Normal... sort of...

I went back to work on Monday after two weeks off post lap-band surgery, and my energy has bounced back and I'm feeling pretty good. Still some pain in my chest but that's to be expected (from the port, if you understand what that means). I'm still on a liquid diet, but only about 5 more days to go on that, yeah! Had a chat with my dietition today and wasn't very happy with the menu she was suggesting, but she's going to send it on paper with alternatives and I'll figure something out... the goal is the goal and the goal is sacred! 115kg by 24 September 2009. Watch this space!

Next week off to England again for some fun sales training, then the week after that is our quarterly sales meeting in Singapore, then a show in Hong Kong and a stop by our office in Beijing, so keeping busy!