Humans: sleepwalkers in robot mode or highly intelligent creatures?

In the movie Limitless (not bad by the way) it is assumed that we only use 20% of our brain capacity. That we don't use a lot of it, became obvious to me again last Saturday at Albert Heyn (a Dutch supermarket chain). People often act like computers in sleep mode than as highly intelligent creatures!

Upon arrival at the store I noticed there was an extraordinarily long queue at the ATM near the entrance. In order to pass it, you almost bumped into a sign saying that you could only pay by cash. Maybe some hackers had managed to bring the electronic payment systems down - it was down in all Albert Heyn stores in the country. While I was getting my groceries they announced on the intercom as well that we could only pay by cash. I was impressed by how well they were informing the customers.

But yes, you can of course guess what's coming next... While in line to pay, there were at least five people that seemed to wake up from a long nap and were annoyed at the cashier that they could not pay by card ("This is ridiculous. I don't have any money on me!"). They aggressively put their groceries back into their basket and made their way to the ATM queue.

It could've happened to me too. And probably to you too. So, why is that? Are we robots that do not think when we do things that we often do? Do we stop observing if we know the environment? How come people were so lost in their thoughts that they missed the ATM queue, the signs AND the announcements? How come there aren't many more bicycle accidents in Amsterdam knowing people are absentminded?

Well, now I understand why all this talk about mindfulness and 'the power of NOW' is really necessary. In Jakarta, I'd often take a different route to work just to give my brain some different impulses. On my other blog, I once wrote about things you can do to get yourself out if you're stuck in a rut. So, what are you gonna do to get yourself out of robot mode?

An instant dose of inspiration or the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Weekend effect

The third edition of the Fifteen Minutes of Fame weekend (last year renamed Matchbox weekend, but now back to its original name) was a great success, just like its two predecessors. We went to the same bungalow park (appropriately named Carpe Diem) as last year, since I had to book everything while traveling in Asia only three months before the event - which for Dutch standards is ridiculously late...

Having breakfast surrounded by paparazzi

We had again twelve presentations covering a wide range of issues - from photography to personal development, from looking the lessons life presents us with to discussing what we eat and buy. As always, each fifteen minute presentation brought a unique insight or inspiration to do things we had wanted to do for a long time. Since the weather was great, we changed the program to be able to get some sun on the beach. The presentations were thus quite spread out over two days which made it easy to focus and gave time to reflect.

So what were the presentations about?

Maike did a presentation on association. Using postcards as her modern-day powerpoint, she urged us to get more into right brain activities. She reminded me of the power of association and of the freedom it brings to just fantasize away. We hardly ever allow ourselves to associate freely and take the sometimes random connections our brain makes seriously. Very refreshing. 

Maike stimulating creativity

Beatriz asked us for input for her research proposal combining sociology with urban planning. We discussed some issues on the border of these two disciplines, such as safety or the extent to which different ethnic groups interact in Amsterdam. Which cities or areas could be comparable and which topics would be interesting enough to study?

Emma made an exhibition with to do lists and photos of tasks which she felt needed to be done - before and after they actually were. As I keep lots of to do lists, the topic spoke to me. It made me see that just doing things straight away works better than keeping it on to do lists for a long time. A lot of the pressure is built up in our own brain. Another eyeopener: the list is never done. Every time we complete a task, we will have come up with a new one. Give yourself a break! (You too, Emma!)

Fenneke reminded me of the fact that we can be in touch with nature if we want to be. On the map of Amsterdam she showed us the places where she goes to pick berries and apples. I was surprised to hear there were actually places like this in my city and realized that I don't see the city's plants as a source for food. Also, I seem to trust the supermarket more than a tree to provide me with healthy berries. Strange isn't it?

Fenneke points us to the city's treasures

Luis makes a great photography magazine, which is read by thousands of people. To me, his presentation was truly a wake up call. Things will only happen, if we make them happen. We do not have to be experts in something in order to have an opinion. Again, just DO it. Also, his persistence NOT to ask for money, or make money with advertising, is just amazing - he wants a 'pure' product, solely fueled by passion, nothing else. Check out DOF magazine and sign up!

Philippe did a consumer test on us as a group. We all tasted four different types of beer, cola and crisps and had to say which ones we liked best. Also, we had to match the right brands with the products tasted. I am very much a Coca Cola preacher (I really do not like pepsi) and was very happy when I recognized it - as did everyone else. Besides that, it was a good reminder of the fact that the more expensive products are not necessarily the best.

Serious tasting

Victor shared the life lessons that he learns by doing improvisation theatre. The one that rang most with me, was 'be confident'. He said that when he plays a scene, he forces himself to fully go for it. Despite any insecurities you may have, it matters that you do it. After his presentation, he did some improv exercise with us. It was cool to see how quickly a funny sketch can evolve.

Miriam talked about the Happiness project, a very popular initiative started by New Yorker Gretchin Rubin who works to improve different aspects of her life to end up happier and shares her steps online. Miriam gave us all a little handwritten notebook with the main points. What stuck with me is to have concrete goals and to do something every day. More on that soon!

Tommy spoke about personal development, overcoming fear and fighting limiting beliefs. We all spend too much time telling ourselves we are not good at things (such as singing, dancing, doing our finances), just because we are afraid or too lazy to start improving our skills. We should be aware of the reasons why we tell ourselves these things and find solutions to overcome them.

Erik talked about the fantastic Dutch TV show 'Keuringsdienst van Waarde' and reminded us of the fact that we need to aware of the products we buy: "After going out, when I'm already drunk, I really want to eat something greasy. I see the chicken at the snackbar, it's calling my name. But I won't eat it". It was good to again think about the choices I myself make when I shop. How much more am I willing to pay for an ecological fair trade product?

Matteo gave us some tips for making better pictures. One I liked was to think about the light. I mostly focus on the composition and forget about the importance of light. Matteo warned for taking pictures around noon and advised to instead do it in the golden hour, right after sunrise or just before sundown.

The last presentation was mine. I confessed that I am a latte snob. Yes, I am one of those women that spend too much money on a daily dose of coffee drowned in milk. I enjoyed talking about it (supported by this) and realized along the way that I would really like to work in the realm of coffee. To be continued...

Miriam made frontpages of the 'Wall of fame journal' for everyone, which were written on during the weekend.

Others blogged way faster than me. Check out what Victor wrote beforehand (in Dutch) and Miriam and Tommy afterwards. Want to know more? Go here or leave a comment to already sign up for next year's edition!

Who says learning is fun?

or: struggling to manage myself (part 3)

As you may remember, I am currently self-employed. Since May, I have taken a few months to reflect on my professional journey so far and work on my project - NGO toolkit, a website helping NGO's (non-governmental organizations) in developing countries to more easily access information on how to manage their organization and measure their successes. There is already lots of information about this topic, but it mostly comes in the shape of thick handbooks. As I've seen from up close, most people working at NGO's don't take the time to read these. So, instead, I will offer videos and summaries.

Talkative Amis at age two

As I had no idea how to build a website, let alone how to make a video, I started completely from scratch. There I sat in an apartment in Hanoi, all set up to record my first video. And then the talkative Amis, that enjoyed giving trainings in Jakarta, had left the building. Completely gone! I hadn't realized that in order for me to be spontaneous, I needed an audience or more practise. At first, I got very frustrated and wanted to quit. Then I became aware of a shocking fact: I do not like to learn new things as I say do. It's not fun to suck at something! I wanted it to be perfect at the first try. But of course we all know it's about daring to fail. That, my friends, is not easy...

The footage from the first rounds of recording was too funny to be wasted though. So I made a little compilation. Here I am, making a fool of myself. Enjoy!

Oh, and the music continues for a while as I didn't know at the time how to cut the audio file :)

Somewhere between love and hate

How wonderful it is to wander and wonder...

 At a construction site on Javastraat, Amsterdam

Last year, I described the phases we go through when we live in another country for a while: the honeymoon and the hostility phases. Well, they also appear when you come back to your own country. While I am happy to have family gatherings, eat cheese & licorice, bike through Amsterdam and meet friends for coffees, I also look at my own city through different eyes. Yes, there is such a thing as a reversed cultureshock! Despite the fact that I've spent most of my life in the Netherlands, living abroad makes me see my country in a completely different light. And I figured I should take advantage of this sense of wonder by taking many pictures and blogging about it.

Healthy people eating out

Amongst other things, I've noticed: Girls were wearing bikinis in the park with the first rays of sunshine (my battery died as I tried to take a picture. Sorry, guys). Everybody here looks healthy and carefree. It's all so expensive! A single tram ticket costs 2,60 euro, that's the amount I paid for an 8 hour busride in Vietnam. There is so much going on in Amsterdam. There are tourists everywhere and festivals on every street corner. Then there are the funny interactions between people: A woman on the tram says to the driver "Sorry, I can not see very well, I'm only wearing one contactlens". Waiting for the ferry, I see a man in a wheelchair asking someone for a sigarette. The smoker bluntly said "No", nothing more. It's interesting, this city of mine...

 

Royal palace on Dam square

Spreading the word of the Lord

Human statues still do it for tourists

A man at the city hall pays with coins he keeps in a winebox

Very Amsterdam style bar called 'The traffic light'

"Stop suffering" (across the street from the bar)

Drinking water available for free!

Presenting: me singing a Vietnamese song

For a long time now, I have had the idea to do a 'musical trip around the world' visiting all the places where the music I love is born (Portugal, Spain, Cape Verde, Cuba, Brasil, The USA -New Orleans- and more). It's on my bucket list. However, in the meantime I travel a lot to countries with other great music to explore. Since I love to sing, I figured singing a 'local' song would be a good way to get to know a culture. I already know several Indonesian songs, but will work on something less popular later this year (Indonesian friends, do feel free to send suggestions).

As I found myself in Vietnam in June, I posted an add offering English conversation classes in exchange for being taught a Vietnamese song. Before I knew it, I was practising 'Vao Chua' with my lovely tutor Trinh. She was very patient, explaining the difference between 'tuh' and 'thuh' - a difference I could vaguely hear but certainly not reproduce... It costed quite some blood, sweat and tears, but here it is, my version of Vao Chua, about the joys of going to the pagoda. Enjoy! :)

 

Please feel free to rip me off

The joys of being a tourist

I love to travel. That much has been established. What I don't like is to be the tourist. Tourists are easy targets and (often rightfully so) played for fools by the locals. Since we look like wallets with shoes on, you can't blame those working in the tourist industry, I guess. I just really do not like the feeling of getting an unfair deal. In Indonesia, I often played my 'I'm almost local' card and sometimes that would help in negotiating the price.

In every country or region the sellers would have different tactics for getting you to buy their goods. Somehow the phrase 'Kijken, kijken, niet kopen" (meaning "You look and look, but you don't buy anything" in Dutch) made its way all over the Indonesian Archipelago. This actually leads to me not wanting to buy anything at all. All over Asia, I have found that repetition seems to be a much used strategy. A guy would yell "transport?" from across the street, you walk passed and another guy yells the same thing. This can go on for a while like that. Do they really think we'll pick guy number six?

A woman of an ethnic minority in Laos tries to sell bracelets 

and ends up Skyping with people in France

In Vietnam they are really quite sneaky. I'd already been warned by several people, so I was ready to fight so I wouldn't be ripped off. Several times the menu would not have prices and the bill would be remarkably high. Or the waiters would put stuff on your table that you'd have to pay for without telling you (such as fried things to eat with your noodle soup or wet napkins).

A few times were actually quite memorable. The first was on a cruise in Halong bay, Unesco world heritage site. While admiring nature in silence, I noticed a little boat approaching us. The woman saw me looking and yelled "Hello?! You buy something?". Goodbye peace and quiet.

Some salespeople seemed to have read books on marketing. On the street in Hoi An, a woman tried the reciprocity approach. I could take a picture for free (she basically attacked me with her gear), and buy a banana in exchange (which I didn't do): "You photo? No money! I am 74, very poor. You buy banana?"

Creative banana selller

Just speaking to a sense of guilt and social proof can also do the trick. At a salon after getting a massage, the masseuse told me: "Please write how you like massage. You give me tip? No salary. My salary your tip." She'd been smart enough to write down in her little booklet that previous customers had paid the amount of five dollar, leading me to pay, yes, five dollars too. Even though I don't like getting an unfair deal, I'm also always the softie that ends up giving high tips. But hey, let's see things in perspective; how much is five dollars in Amsterdam?

Show me some skin!

The past weeks in Hanoi have been hot. When it's not raining, the sun is out. And that means that girls need to cover up every single inch of their bodies. They don't want their fair skins to tan, do they? So they have found a perfect solution: when they ride their motorbikes they wear special thin hooded jackets with extra long sleeves that cover their hands. How come no one in Indonesia came up with that?!

The men however are quite laidback here (or as my cooking teacher in Hoi An said "Vietnamese men no good! They are lazy, just hang around the coffee shop all day") and like to feel the breeze on their bare skin. It doesn't really matter where you are, there's always a guy with his shirt lifted somewhere near. Not a very pretty sight.