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Let’s get this party started

Last week was insanely packed (in a good way) and there’s still so much I have to blog about. But that will have to wait, because *happy dance* it’s my birthweek! 
Marlon sure knows how to get a party started, at least in my book. He kicked off my birthday celebration by treating me to a little somethin’-somethin’ at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. 

And that is your sneak peek at Dutch Design Week. That’s about all I can manage for now, but there will be more (lots more) when I get back. Promise.

In the meantime, I’m taking off to celebrate The Big 3-0 with a long-awaited trip to Istanbul. I’m excited to be crossing another big one off my lifelong travel wishlist. Ta ta for now and see you next week!

6 Comments
Posted on October 24, 2011
Category: Uncategorized · Labels: , ,

Date night

One of the things I loved about summer was the fact that the days seemed to never end. The sun would set as late as 10 p.m., and you would get lovely “late afternoon” light like this at 7 or 8 p.m. 

These days, the sun sets earlier each day. The photo above was taken a little before 6 p.m. The sun disappears from the sky by around 6:30.

But you know what? Part of me actually welcomes the return of night.

I only realized that when Marlon and I went out to for dinner and a movie one Friday night. It was a nice change, because we don’t eat out as much as we used to. Dining out here tends to be expensive, which is never a guarantee that it’s going to be good. We also tend to stay home a lot to save up for, or recover from, travels.

We went to Rainarai, an Algerian resto on the Prinsengracht bordering the Jordaan.

The atmosphere of this small corner restaurant is eclectic and laid-back, with quirky details like these schoolhouse chairs with African motifs drawn on them.

Service is turo-turo style. As Marlon and I were talking about how it reminded us of home, the girl behind the counter asked us if we were Filipino. Turned out she had visited the Philippines while backpacking around Southeast Asia. She said that of all the places she had visited on her six-month trip, her favorite by far was the Cordilleras: Banaue, Batad, Benguet and Sagada. Wow. To think I’ve never been to those places myself.

We ate dinner by candlelight while watching the sunset reflected on the windows of the canal houses. And that was when I realized I actually missed nightfall.

While walking to the movie theater, we passed the fairgrounds set up in front of the Royal Palace on Dam Square. We looked at the Ferris wheel and thought: “Hey, this is something we’ve never done together!” So we did.

We had lots of time to spare before the movie, so instead of having dessert or lounging around in the cinema lobby, we decided to take a walk. It turned out to be a wonderful idea. Because we don’t very often go out in the evenings, I still find myself so surprised and delighted by how magical Amsterdam can become at night.

We strolled around the narrow streets and canals in the Centrum, or old center. When I think of the old center, I think red light district and coffee shops, so I rarely go there except to take visitors to see it. Otherwise, sex and weed is not a big draw for me. 
But night can blot out all that, and it takes on a different character. Shadows soften and hide, and night lights flatter a city’s face.
A darkened shop window turns into a mystery that beckons us to take a closer look. 

The play of light and shadow can make almost anything lovely, almost poetic. In the daytime, would we have stopped to look? 

4 Comments
Posted on October 24, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , ,

Little red sparkling hood

The color red seems to be everywhere these days. It’s taking over buildings and apartments…

… and popping out of bushes. I didn’t realize so many of the trees and plants I see around me everyday would suddenly produce these bright red berries come fall. Yes, I’m a fall newbie.

All this red percolating in my subconscious came to a boil one afternoon after watercolor class. As I was walking through the centre of Haarlem, I was drawn to another jolt of red—this time in the form of a big SALE sign at WE, a local high street chain. Inside, I found this red dress with a skinny belt and promptly realized: I don’t own a single article of red clothing!

With 50% off everything in the store, it was easy to remedy the situation. So now I have a red dress.

I remember reading somewhere that red and leopard print go together, so it seems my leopard print flats have found a new playmate. But so far my favorite way to wear bright red has been with gray. I’ve worn it with my gray wool blazer from Uniqlo (above) to go to my weekly ladies’ lunch, and with a gray fluffy angora cardigan for a Sunday visit to the zoo. 
I’ve also found a new use for the bronze beaded fascinator I like to wear with this dress. It turns out a headband is perfect for keeping the hood of my rain jacket in place when it’s too windy for an umbrella. 

I got a few odd looks on the street, but I shrugged them off. Sparkling in the rain is worth it!

4 Comments
Posted on October 22, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam, Personal Style · Labels: , ,

A pop of (water)color

I’m usually pretty impatient when it comes to making things. If it can’t be done in one sitting, I tend to rush it or just give up altogether. So I consider it a big achievement to have spent three consecutive Tuesdays working on a painting for my watercolor class. I finished it last week, left it to dry in my teacher’s studio in Haarlem, and finally brought it home!

This is the first painting that I’ve produced out of this class that I enjoyed doing from start to finish and am really, truly happy with. My first few lessons were a little awkward and unsure; with this work, I feel I’ve hit my stride and grown in confidence and technique.

I’ve gotten quite a few compliments from Penny on this, and it’s been great to walk into the studio on Tuesday afternoons and find my other classmates—my geriatric barkada, LOL—gathered around my work and talking enthusiastically about it.

My favorite bits are the flowers, naturally. I love how the red flowers really pop, thanks to the contrast of the dark green around it. (I think I’m getting better with contrast!) I did the pink flowers by dipping a rough natural sponge in some green paint and blotting it quickly on a wet, watered-down red wash.

Penny remarked that my style is turning out to be more illustrative than painterly—nothing wrong with that, just a matter of style. To help soften the whole painting, she suggested painting over the stark white background with a quick wash of pale green blurred with lots of water.

Voila, the finished work!

Do you like it? Tell me what you think!

12 Comments
Posted on October 21, 2011
Category: Creative Projects · Labels: , ,

Fall uniform

If I hadn’t moved to Amsterdam, I would never have realized that I had a raincoat-shaped hole in my wardrobe. After getting soaked in the rain one stormy August night and getting sick the week following that, I decided that “summer” was as good a time as any to buy a rain jacket. 
The most important criteria: it had to have a hood, be waterproof, and cover my legs at least partially. It took a couple of afternoons combing the shops, I found this navy blue McG rain jacket at De Bijenkorf. I chose it for the semi-tailored preppy feel, as well as for the soft jersey lining and the cute little grosgrain belt that ties in a bow at my waist. I spent more on it than I had hoped to, but I felt better forking over the moolah knowing I’d get lots of wear out of this jacket. 
And I was right. This jacket already feels like a uniform, with all the rain we’ve had here. Although I must say I felt slightly odd wearing it out for the first time. It just didn’t seem very… well, very me. Even Marlon gave a thoughtful hmmm the first time he saw me in it. 

This is my template outfit these days. I’ve gotten used to the rain jacket; I figure feeling “slightly odd” is a million times better than feeling downright cold, wet and miserable. Now that the temperature is on a steady downward trend, I’ve replaced my usual black stretchy cotton leggings with fleece leggings from HEMA, which feel awesome—like my legs are getting a nice warm hug.

The other part of my fall uniform is these brogue-slash-granny boots I scored on my day trip to Maastricht. They reminded me of the brown granny boots I used to own, which my mom brought back from Europe in the heyday of grunge. Ah, the Nineties.

Except my old granny boots didn’t have the brogue-ish look of this pair, nor did they have this combination of black, brown and gray leather. Now resisting a pair of boots is always hard for me. But boots that go with everything? Oh hell yes.
Besides, it’s fall. Lots of rain, getting cold and all that. I’m just being practical. Right? 
4 Comments
Posted on October 19, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam, Personal Style · Labels: , ,

Pale October

Now that I’ve finally let go of September, it’s time to say hello to my first official fall!
Though autumn is known for its bright and fiery palette, I welcomed the start of the season with uncharacteristically muted hues. 

When I spotted this bouquet of pale, almost dusty lavender roses at the corner bloemenwinkel (flower shop), I simply couldn’t resist. I’ve never seen roses this shade before.

Flowers are one of the things I really love about living in Holland. On days that are just totally bleargh, they are a small, but very welcome reminder that here, something new, interesting and different is always—sometimes literally—just around the corner.

1 Comment
Posted on October 18, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: ,

A toast to September

I know, I know. October is halfway done and here I am posting about September. 
I still have a bit of a hangover from last month. Although fall had officially begun in September, we were blessed with what is known as an Indian summer: two straight weeks of seasonally misplaced, blissfully warm and sunny weather that stretched all the way into the first couple of days of October. It was the summer Amsterdam didn’t have. The whole city felt positively festive, like it was drunk on sunshine. Para silang nanalo sa giyera.

The last weekend before autumn weather officially kicked in was absolute bliss. Marlon and I hosted a dinner at home, with four other expat couples. It was actually warm enough to have cocktails on the balcony, so my friend Leigh suggested we make mojitos. The next day, it was so warm and muggy and lazy that we dragged our air mattress onto the balcony, sprawled out with some books, and made a couple more mojitos with the leftover ingredients from the previous evening. Mmmm.

Here’s what I learned from Leigh’s mojito tutorial:

Into a tall glass, put two teaspoons white sugar, a handful of fresh mint leaves, a little slosh of white rum (we used Bacardi) and two lime wedges, or half a lime cut into two. Crush the lime wedges until juice comes out (I used an ice cream scooper!). Fill with soda water and ice. Clink glasses and enjoy.

I’m raising my glass to September—you were absolutely, unexpectedly fantastic. Cheers!

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Posted on October 17, 2011
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: ,

Getting the boot

Have you ever realized you had a completely blank schedule on a beautiful, sunny Saturday and thought to yourself: “Omigod! It’s absolutely perfect! Today is the day! We can finally get the boot!”

Probably not. But that’s because you didn’t know that boot is the Dutch word for boat!

In this city of canals, one of the most popular weekend pastimes is boating. With large cushions and blankets lining the deck, wine glasses in hand, in their preppy-chic Ralph Lauren/Tommy Hilfiger-type sailing getups (on cloudy days) or shirtless (on sunny days), a fluffy dog or two peeking out from the prow, the Dutch are experts in taking cozy chic to the canals. And yes, many of them actually own their own boats. I’ve seen so many happy Dutchies on boats since spring that I’ve developed an entirely new form of envy… boat envy.

I’ve had a standing reservation at Mokumboot, a boat rental company two blocks from my house, since April. Weather had been so uncooperative, especially through our crappy rainy summer, that I feared I would never get to use it. Whenever I had the odd sunny day in my sights, boats would get fully booked up a week in advance.

But September gave us a stunning gift: a rare, two-week stretch of blissful sunshine and good vibes. So on one glorious Sunday morning, the planets aligned. And we could finally, finally get the damn boot.

Marlon and I showed up at the Mokumboot dock at 11 in the morning to pick up our boat. I actually got us out of the driveway, so to speak before handing the wheel to my college friend Jec. She moved here with her boyfriend KD for work, and I’m lucky to have a Pinay friend I already know pretty well!

Steering is not as easy as the Dutchies make it look. You need to keep the steering wheel going pretty much continuously, constantly going back and forth between left and right, to keep the boat going in a straight line. Also, being an electric boat as opposed to a gas-fueled boat, our top speed was pretty pathetic. But it was all good. We were all just ridiculously excited to finally be on a boat!

Jec’s boyfriend KD took over as captain of the ship for the first half of our four-hour boat ride. Marlon got started chilling the wine…

… while I unpacked our picnic basket, filled with snacks for grazing: chips, cheese, olives, bread and a highly addictive truffle tapenade from the Albert Cuypmarkt.

I also served up a vegetarian lunch of fusilli with roasted broccoli and walnuts.

We set off from the Olympic quarter, our neighborhood, in the direction of Amsterdam’s famous canal belt. Along the way, autumn waved its cheery greeting from the apartments of the Old South.

Passing the Rijksmuseum, or the national museum, was a signpost telling us to expect very busy waters up ahead.

[Read more...]

3 Comments
Posted on October 14, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , , ,

Library love

I love libraries. So I don’t know why it took me eight whole months to finally haul my ass down to the Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (OBA), or the Amsterdam Public Library. 
At 28,000 square meters, the Central Library down by Centraal (no, that is not a typo) Station is Europe’s biggest public library. Brace yourselves for a huge photodump, because this is the most photogenic library I have ever seen in my life.

Some quick facts and figures about the OBA:

  • 7 floors
  • 1,375 seats (600 with computers/Internet/MS Office)
  • 110 catalogue terminals and 26 lending machines
  • Underground parking for 2,000 bikes and 1,200 cars
  • 2.5 million users and visitors annually
  • Awarded Amsterdam’s Most Sustainable Public Building in 2008
  • Also houses a theatre, radio station, conference rooms, exhibition spaces, “study pods”, cafe and restaurant
The library is impressive in numbers, but it’s even more so when you actually visit. For a bookworm like me, stepping into the library for the first time was like walking into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, without the impending doom of weight gain.
More than a bookworm’s wonderland, though, this is everything I love about Dutch design. 

Modern details everywhere, even on the couches and the floors.

Standing in the lobby, you can simply look up to see how the library is organized at a glance. It’s a clever and irresistible invitation to explore.

Explore with me, after the jump. 
First order of the day: borrow the assigned reading material for book club. It took me a while to find the catalogue terminals at first. I saw these iMacs all over the place but I simply didn’t think to connect “library catalogue” with “Mac. But that’s exactly what they are.
Love the changing words on the screensavers. (Fietst means bike, as in the verb.)

Love the way the shelves are labeled, too. (Strips mean comics.)

Wandering around the library would probably do wonders for my Dutch vocabulary. I could while away whole afternoons here.
After I found my book, it was time to check it out with mijn pas (my card). 
Love the design of the lending stations. Even if you don’t speak Dutch, the outlines tell you where to place uw pas (your card) and boeken (books) to be scanned for checkout. Simplicity is beauty.
Great design is just everywhere. Even in simple things like coat racks.
More than just being lovely to look at, I also found some details to be quite thoughtful. One of the details I appreciated most was the placement of solitary chairs in front of huge windows. This idea could have only come from a person knows the solitary pleasure of reading, of turning one’s back on the world for a few hours to become absorbed in a book.
On the top floor is a large cafeteria-style restaurant operated by the La Place chain. 

It was a beautiful, clear day so the outdoor terrace was packed.

But we couldn’t leave without checking out the view.

The turquoise building to my right is NEMO, the Science Museum. The rooftop becomes a big urban “beach” in the summer—but of course from experience, I’ve come to learn that urban is simply a euphemism for sandless and unswimmable.

As you can see, tall buildings in Amsterdam are rare. Most of the buildings are old, and are only five, maybe six stories at the most. So this view is pretty special. 

Books in hand and stomachs full, Marlon and I headed back down from the top floor…

… and made one last stop at the multimedia department on our way out.

The whole floor made me nostalgic for the days of Tower Records. 

At the same time, it felt like something all too current and familiar… like an Apple store!

The architects definitely belong to the cult of Mac.

Hello cult-mates!

Isn’t this the coolest librarian’s desk ever?

It’s made entirely from pressed sheets of cardboard. 

Oh, a small aside: in the DVD section, I saw Basic Instinct right next to Horton Hears a Who. Welcome to the Netherlands, folks.

And with that we hop over to the children’s section, which is in the basement.

Love all the fun elements they incorporated into the children’s reading area, like making the shelves into a “fort” you can climb, and the teepee on the right. And of course, those awesome “jackstone” lights. May jackstones din kaya sila dito?

What a great way to make reading fun for kids. Then again, I never needed forts and teepees to make me enjoy reading. An awesome library always helps, though!

3 Comments
Posted on October 9, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , ,

Easy eggplant lunch

Rome backlog done. Now, back to our regular programming!
Life at home has been good. To share a little bit of my domestic bliss, I’m reposting this Giada di Laurentiis recipe for grilled eggplant and goat cheese salad. It’s become my go-to lunch as of late, and it’s a triple t(h)reat: healthy, yummy and easy to make.
You’ll need: 
Olive oil
Eggplant (1 per person), thinly sliced into rounds
Pine nuts, toasted
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Basil, chopped
Mint, chopped
Balsamic vinegar (I used a squeeze of lemon instead)
Salt and pepper
Place a grill pan (ours is from Ikea) over medium-high heat, or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. 
Place the slices on a serving platter (or, if you’re eating for one like me, on your plate). Sprinkle with pine nuts, goat cheese, basil and mint. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Finish off with a swish of balsamic vinegar or (not and!) a squeeze of lemon. 
Buon appetito!
3 Comments
Posted on October 8, 2011
Category: House & Spouse · Labels: