Heroes

Since three weeks, VT4 started broadcasting this new TV-series called Heroes. It's about different people who all have some sort of power. At first I thought 'my god, another one of those series' but it's really brilliant. It's got my completely stuck to the screen whilst watching. Fun thing is that it doesn't really give you all the details, it's kind of like Lost, where you keep on watching because you want to know what's really going on and you have all kinds of images in your head of what is happening. Nice about VT4 is that they broadcast two episodes after each other, like they did with Lost, so that you have over an hour of good television.

I was surfing the net on more info about the series and discovered that NBC has a site about it, where they have downloadable stuff. This stuff doesn't only contain wallpapers, but has really nice comics about it as well, so I figured Dave might like it. :)
You can find the comics here. To my humble opinion they are really good, but what do I know about it? Maybe you can see for yourselves and correct me if I'm wrong...

I was discussing it with my colleague El Shorty, and his favourite character is Hiro, a Japanese guy who can manipulate time, this made me think about who my favourite character is, and I'm still not sure, I like Mohinder, who has no ready known powers, and might not have any powers, I'm not sure. And I guess my favourite would be Matt, who hears thoughts, maybe because I would like to be able to do that from time to time and because I'm trying to do so by watching people's faces and actions and stuff.

House for sale

Our house is for sale, Icky put up an "For Sale"-sign on Thursday and ever since we've had quite a lot of calls from people who want to see the place.

however, I've had quite another reaction too...
Each time one of us runs into a neighbour they ask if we're going to sell the place (no we just think a sign like that is nice and by putting our number on our window we try to make new friends), and then it's just all smalltalk and that's it.
Yesterdaymorning, I was on my way home after I brought Soufyan and Yaesseen to school, I ran into the guy who lives right across the street from us. I'm quite unsure about his name, but we talk a lot to him. he is a really nice guy, tonight he's performing with his band in a pub and we don't want to miss it, so we're going there, and when we told him we were coming, his face absolutely lit up. He saw the sign too, how could he miss that, and he said that is was a shame, and that he'd miss us. And you know what, I'm going to miss him too...

Neighbours are a funny thing, either you like them, or you dislike them, or you don't even know them. In this street we know quite a lot of neighbours, and I really like most of them. It'll be weird moving to another place again, I really got adjusted to this place, street and the people surrounding us.

My mobile

I absolutely adore the mobile phone I have now, it's a Samsung E330, and I have it for nearly three years, it's the first mobile I've had for that time, my elder ones either broke down, were forgotten in cabs, got wet and rejected service, etc. But this one's been my companion for the past three years, he's joined me in fun times, he's laughed with me, he's joined my whilst talking to sad friends, he stood by me in hospital, so I was not fully alone, he's seen most things I've seen and taken pictures off. He's recorded loads of things, like Ilyas' snoring, laughing, Soufyan and Yaesseen's singing etc. And now he's about to have his last breath. :'(

All my phonenumbers are saved on the phone, so I've started writing them down on a piece of paper, since it's impossible to copy them to my sim, but I cannot write more than about 15 numbers a time, before the screen starts to black out and then I give him some rest, because I'm still not able to say goodbye to him.

I'm sure that there will be no phone like my Samsung...

Antwerp's Central Station

They have been working at it for years, they started it in 2000 and they are still not quite finished, but they are getting there... Antwerp's Central Station will be three times as big as it once was. Now some of the trains already arrive and depart in the tunnel. Which is quite nice, but it takes you longer to actually get there.

F.I. I had "early" late shifts this week, meaning that I started at 12.30 and finished at 21.00. I've been leaving for work rather early to make sure I had time to get a bite to eat and I had to run some errands and I never really know how long those will actually take. Monday I took the 10.59 train from Lier to Antwerp and I was outside the Station at 11.20. That train stops on the platforms on the first floor, so I only needed to take the stairs down, and I walked. On Wednesday I caught an earlier train in Lier, the one at 10.55. And I was outside the Central Station at 11.22, which makes a 6 minutes difference. Both trains are stoptrains, which stop at the same stops, take the exact same route and none of them ran into a delay on the way getting there, so it really made a difference that one of them stopped in the tunnel. 6 mins might not seem like a great deal, but it really makes a lot of difference if you're running from work to get home and need to catch a train. If we finish at half past an hour, we can catch a train at .43 (which stops at the first floor) or one at .46, which now stops at -2. We used to just have to run to a different platform if we missed the first, but now there is no way in hell of making the .46 one if you just missed the other one, so then you have to wait till .14, so that's half an hour gone...

They suddenly changed all the platform numbers, some of them are now numbered 21, 22, 23, which I first didn't get, I had no idea where the train was stopping :) I know it's all about getting used to that again, but rush hour suddenly became even rushier... :(

Kabalarian explanation of my name...

Although the name Karen creates the urge to be reliable and responsible, we emphasize that it limits your versatility and scope, tuning you to technical details.

This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the elimination system, and through worry and mental tension.

Your first name of Karen gives you the desire for responsibility and takes you into practical pursuits.

You would excel in work of a technical nature where concentration and attention to detail are important.

Whatever you undertake, you have the patience and determination to do well.

You feel a sense of security in positions of responsibility where progress is made through systematic, step-by-step procedures.

However, you lack vision and you could become too involved in technical details, system, and routine.

You do not readily adjust to changes in your routine.

It doesn't sound too good, does it?? if you want to find out about your own name, you can do that here.But I must warn you that you might not feel any better about yourself after doing this test...

jeeeeeeeeeeeej!!

I found a new site on the net! Called Psych tests which is fun fun fun fun fun! (I'm kind of singing this in my head!)
Unfortunately I cannot download a toolbar at work, but I'll try your suggestion at home, Lars! :D
but, I'll be harrassing you guys with the tests and the test results though! So, be prepared! :D

Hast du etwas Zeit für mich

lalalalalaaaaaa

but I'll spare you all the singing, but this brings me to a brilliant song by Re Born, who used to be named Born, which is his first name, but this Dutch guy objected to the name since he already called himself that...

But he's got this song named "sick of this lonely life", and the lyrics are absolutely hilarious! Read for yourselves:

Verse 1:

I woke up this morning all alone in my bed
Remembering this blonde in the bar
I asked her: "can we party on at my place tonight?"
But her boyfriend rang the doorbell instead

I've been tryin' so hard to make the women see
That I'm the kinda man that they need
But all I ever am is a listening ear
That wraps up the story of me

Chorus 1:

So long folks, this boat is sinking
The captain's abandoning ship
I'm so done with wishfull thinking
I'm sick of this lonely life
I'm sick of this lonely life

Verse 2:

Now, my momma told me to be nice to the girls
Treat them right and show some respect
But acting like a gentleman is not enough
'Cause the bad guys are rocking their world

Bridge:

I hardly let you out these days
And boy that sack below you weighs
It's time for my boys to start swimming

I'm sorry if I've let you down
you're all shrunk up like you've been drowned
The catch will be worth the bate

Chorus 2:

So long folks, this boat is sinking
The captain's abandoning ship
I'm so done with wishfull thinking
I'm sick of this lonely life

My right arm's getting too strong now
Feeling like I'm gonna explode
Frustration's taking over me somehow
I'm sick of this lonely life
I'm sick of this lonely life

Verse 3:

Maybe I should meet someone who bought my CD
She"ll treat me like a star
Untill' the fame is over and she's got someone else
So put me out of my misery

Chorus 3:

So long folks, this boat is sinking
The captain's abandoning ship
I'm so done with wishfull thinking
I'm sick of this lonely life

Gimme some puppy lovin'
I'm in serious need of a crush
I freak out when I see a G-string
I'm sick of this lonely life
I'm sick of this lonely life
I said I'm sick of this lonely life
-by Born Meirlaen-

I especially like the way how he refers to his little ones ;)
It's an upbeat song, it's not at all a said song or so...

Recently a man had to go to the hospital to have his wedding ring cut off from his penis after his mistress found the ring in his pants pocket and got so mad at him she stuck it on him while he was asleep.

Now I don't know what's worse:

1) Having your mistress find out you're married.

2) Explaining to your wife how your wedding ring got on your penis.

3) Or finding out your penis fits through your wedding ring.

Skydiver Arrested for Mooning Fla. Cop

Mar 27, 5:34 PM (ET)

DELAND, Fla. (AP) - A visiting Norwegian skydiver was arrested after exposing his buttocks to an officer, police said. Vegard Svarstad, 24, of Norway, was blocking traffic at an intersection early Saturday morning, according to an arrest report.

When DeLand police Lt. David Heinig stopped at the intersection, he told Svarstad to continue across the street, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

Instead, the man started to dance around, pulled down his pants and mooned the officer, Heinig said.

Svarstad was charged with disorderly intoxication and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $250 bond. At a first-appearance hearing later Saturday, Svarstad said he was preparing to return to Norway.

Prosecutors decided that his night in jail was sufficient punishment, a State Attorney's spokeswoman said. They dropped the charge and released him.

A small test

I've found this small test, which is kind of fun;

here's a list of things all happening at the same time, read through the list and then write down the order in which you would do the things listed ;

1° someone knocks at the door
2° the watertap is leaking
3° your laundry is outside and it has started to rain
4° the baby cries
5° the phone rings

So, go throug it again and see if you would really do the things in that order...

Then check your list with the list underneath, since every item stands for something else

1° the people knocking at the door refers to your friends
2° the leaking watertap refers to sex
3° the laundry hanging outside refers to money
4° the baby refers to your family
5° the phone ringing refers to your work,

so, what's most important to you? I'd like to read your lists and especially your comments to this test.
My personal list is:
1- baby
2- the tap
3- the laundry
4- the door
5- the telephone

I thought about it this way when I made the list (and obviously didn't know the meaning, because then I would have made it differently); I pick up the crying baby, soothe him whilst turning the tap, get the laundry on my way to the door and whilst letting the people in pick up the phone. I especially put the phone last since I have caller ID and can always call back, if it's someone important at the door they'll wait because they know I'm always doing other things on my way to the door, and if it's a door to door salesman or a Jehova's witness, they'll be gone by the time I reach the door...

the first step

you take is usually always with the same foot, pay attention to it, you'll see I'm right. I tried to take my first step with the other foot and nearly fell since I didn't warn my dominant foot I wasn't planning on using it first.

Seriously, every time I've dropped Ilyas off at Christel's (his childminder), I walk to the station and need to take the stairs, one of them is broken, so I always try to avoid it, which I can by starting off with my other foot, but I never manage to do so, so I started wondering why, and everytime I start walking, I take my first step with my left foot.

Woman guilty of frying her husband

Associated Press
Mar. 23, 2007 04:59 PM

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A Brazilian housewife was convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison Friday for killing her husband, chopping his corpse into small pieces and frying it.

Rosanita Nery dos Santos, 52, was sentenced by Judge Casio Miranda in northeastern Bahia state after a 15-member jury found her guilty of killing retired police officer Jose Raimundo Soares dos Santos, court spokesman Francisco Ribeiro said.

Authorities said the killing occurred almost two years ago in Vila Sao Cosme, a lower middle-class neighborhood in the Bahia state capital of Salvador, 930 miles northeast of Sao Paulo.

"On June 23, 2005, Rosanita Nery dos Santos drugged her husband and stabbed him to death while he slept," Idmar Bonfim, a spokesman for the Salvador Civil Police Department said. "She then hacked his body into more than 100 pieces, which she boiled and fried before hiding them in plastic bags underneath the staircase of her house."

He said police discovered the body parts after receiving an anonymous phone call.

Bonfim said the killing was either part of a black magic ritual or an attempt "to get her hands on his life insurance money worth about 70,000 reals ($34,000)."

Citing testimony from the woman's relatives, he said she may have committed the crime "to avenge many years of humiliation from her husband." He did not provide further details.

Santos denied killing her husband but said she chopped up his body, Bonfim said.

"She claims masked assailants entered her house, killed her husband and then forced her to cut up the body and fry it because that would prevent the stench of a decomposing body from alerting neighbors."

What's happening to the world????

Did you know??

that the youngest mother was 5 years old when she gave birth to her baby boy!?

Her parents thought she had a tumor, but she turned out to be 8 months pregnant. More information on her you can find here.

I cannot get my head around this...

Temptation Island

Last night I came home from work and watched the end of Heroes, afterwards I gave Ilyas his bottle before we were going to bed. After Heroes the first episode of the new series of Temptation Island was on, and I couldn't reach for the remote and was a bit too lazy to do so, so we ended up watching most of it...

So I sat there shouting at the dumb people on tele, and all my frustrations were suddenly gone. Why the hell do you participate on a reality show which will undoubtedly put an end to your relationship. Why don't you just split up like normal people do, why do you want to embarass yourself, your relatives, your friends, your partner on TV to finish your relationship?? What's the fun in sleeping with other people in front of a camera?

Birthday time

Today is Quentin Tarantino's day turn to be in the 'who's birthday is it today' spotlight! :-)

Hoorah for him, he's turning 44 today!

He's known for making better movies like 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Kill Bill (2)', 'Pulp Fiction', 'Death Proof' etc. After seeing Reservoir Dogs for about 21 times I get his style and I'm a fan!

nintendo DS

In reaction to Dave's post about PS3 I'll give him the opinion about my Nintendo DS he asked for! :-)

I absolutely adore my Nintendo DS, I'm kind of addicted. We bought the nintendo because it's small and you can put it away, since we don't want our kids to start playing computer games too soon. I have most of the brain challenge games, which are brilliant, I would like some more games, but that's according to the finances... I have the Pac Man game, which is really really really fun, I got the Crash Boom Bang game, but it has taken me a lot of time to figure it out, there is this thing where you have to blow up balloons, and at first I didn't succeed at the thing, and then I realised you actually had to blow up the balloon, and not push any buttons to do so.

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training is loads of fun, especially the part where you have to shout out the colour you see... I love shouting at things that don't reply to me; the TV, my magazine, the PC, the Nintendo. Good thing about shouting at the Nintendo is that you get scores doing so! LOL

So, I'm a big fan! I cannot wait for our boys to grow about 8 years older and then play games with them, probably that day will come sooner then within 8 years, but still I'd like them to continue using their imagination a bit longer and seeing the fun of cardboard boxes.

Unfortunately I'm not that good at reviewing games, I'm sorry about that... but maybe I can lend someone my DS and then he can give a way better review ;)

BTW Dave, I was at Game Mania last Friday and there was absolutely no hassle selling the PS3's either, there was no crowd at all, people just went to the till and asked for their reserved PS3, payed for it and went home :) (so, we are all a lot more civilised then those Londoners and Americans ;p just kidding)

is there really nothing on

the net anymore? I've been surfing the entire day, but have the feeling I've seen it all...
pfff and I've got an entire week of late shifts to go
what to do?? when there is nothing on the net??
all ideas, tips, etc are more than welcome (especially e-mails...)

Did I hide it that bad??

Yesterday morning I went to the Laundrette, I kind of enjoy some off time when I'm there, just listening to some music, reading a book, waiting for my laundry to be done.
So, yesterday wasn't any different, I just sat there in a corner, on a chair, reading my book, listening to some music, then this lady interrupted me, telling me she was there to do her laundry. OK, I'm not a genius, but I'm not that daft, I can add up one and one, if you are in a laundrette with a bunch of dirty clothes, I would not even dare to think you are there to do some shopping... So I gave har a sheepish smile and said OK, and my attention went back to my book. Then she started again about how her husband was not there with her because he didn't feel like it. Ok, how do you react to that? Well, when I was thinking about a reaction a bit friendlier then "can you blame him?", it turned out that I needn't have worried... she went on anyway, about her boy still living at home (her husband was 84, I don't want to know the ago of the little man), and that she hoped that he would wait a bit to have children of his own... ok... that was my call to quickly skip outside. So I did, and came back in through the other door and sat back down with my book and MP3 player.

I admit, next time I should hide my interest better, because she immediately saw through my cover that I was really interested in knowing every little detail. Some months ago she bought black socks for her son, but the poor thing's toes got infected, so she changed back to white socks, and just like that his toes were in a normal state again. And when we were folding up our clothes, I really didn't mind folding up hers, no, and I really didn't mind taking her laundry outside, and the fact that it took me about half an hour longer in the bloody laundrette, no, of course I didn't care. I really enjoyed her talking about her poor little son and her husband who didn't feel like joining her (who could blame him!? but next time I run into him, I WILL!!!)

Next time I'm going to the laundrette I'll be waring a paper bag over my head, maybe then I'll be covering my interest in other people's lives a lot better...

Yaesseen lets women do the hard work for him

Birthday time!!!

Yes, yes, yes, on our daily episode of who's birthday is it today, I can proudly present to you my favourite birthday man of the day...
Paul De Leeuw
known of better songs as "blote jongens in het park", "vlieg met me mee", proud father of two adopted songs, proud figure of gay men, brilliant comedian, TV-personality!
Hoorah for Paul!

Ilyas

Here are some pictures taken of Ilyas yesterday. We were at a baby drink and our youngest showed his best side...

Women's weekly

I know I should really stop reading my women's weekly, because it's not good for me, I always react to the articles in it. But in a way, it's good, since I get some frustration of my chest shouting at my magazine (no, I don't read it in the train, so I'm not acting like a raving lunatic whilst in the train.

Anyway, this morning I was reading an article titled "Happy with my husband, but still needing other men", about (you might have guessed) a woman who continuously cheats on her husband, and who claims it's a win-win situation, because she doesn't argue with him whilst having an affair, if she doesn't have an affair for some time, she keeps on fighting with her husband. I bet he won't agree when he finds out, and I bet she knows, since she claims to have nightmares about him finding out...

Even worse, there was a list of statistics in the article, and it said that in Italy people feel guiltier about eating too much than about cheating on their partner. How the hell can you feel worse about eating too much then about cheating on your partner???!!! OK, probably you'll feel sick as hell if you've eaten too much, but still, it cannot make you feel guiltier, can it really??

What's wrong with this world!??