The Eyes of the World

One day you will wake up and find out that you are the eyes of the world!

Name:
Location: Haslev, Denmark

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Post 190

Post No. 190 is a "happy" post. I wanted it to be long and reflective about the past, the present and the future, but due to me going to a party in a short while, this post is going to be simple and nice.

Happy New Year to all of you. Remember to set a goal or two for the new year, remember to put the past behind and start from scratch. 2007 is coming, 2006 is leaving.

Don't get too drunk on New Years Eve (but get drunk). Get a girl or a boy (or both) at 24.00 o'clock.

Smile!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Christmas

I remember when everyone was less political correct and wished each other "Merry Christmas", today you have to say "Happy Holiday" so you don't offend anyone.

I remember when Betlehem was place in the Bible, a place where a little child was born (very close to my birthday as well), today Betlehem is surrounded by a 12 meters high wall with machineguns, fences and trenches. Today it would take the Three Wise Men hours to get through the 12 check-points between Jerusalem to Betlehem.

I remember when Santa Claus lived on Greenland and all the gifts came on christmas eve. Today the "gifts" comes in early November and Santa Claus has apparently moved to China (because, it always says: "made in china" on the gifts).

I remember when it was cold and snowy outside. Today it is +10 and sunny, I guess that Global warmning has changed Christmas forever.

I remember the times before winter-depressions, "gift-race", Julebryg (Christmas beers) and the times when I didn't have to work all of December.

And now I would like to wish all my dear readers of this blog a merry christmas, In Holland, Cambodia, Norway, Finland, Bolivia, England, India, Tanzania, Hawaii, Spain, Sweden, Lativia, Estonia, Jylland, Tanzania, Russia and from the rest of the places where I have had readers. I can also see that a person from Nuuk visited my blog yesterday, maybe it was Santa Claus himself...ho ho ho....

Friday, December 22, 2006

and so she left....

Sitting onboard the Pearl of Scandinavia, now without friends around me. Malou (to all college people, long story...) from Finland visited me and sailed with me from Copenhagen to Oslo and back again... It was extremely nice to have at least one person who knows me very well to celebrate my birthday with me. However, it was also hard only to get 2 hours of sleep between my 12 hours workingday.
Now I have two days left, one with 1500 passengers (quite a lot) and one with 500 passengers (quite a small number of passengers), and then Consumerismas is coming....
btw, congraz for being Person of the Year in Time Magazine!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

What and who on the 21st

1913 - Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.

1937 - The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.

1962 - Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park. (what is it about me and Norway?)

AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS BORN ON THE 21st.:
1918 - Kurt Waldheim, Austrian United Nations Secretary-General
1937 - Jane Fonda, American actress and activist
1940 - Frank Zappa, American singer, guitarist and composer (d. 1993)
1948 - Samuel L. Jackson, American actor

and some people actually died on the 21st of december:
1807 - John Newton, English cleric and hymnist
1940 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer

And yes, to finish off in perfect wikipedia style:
The December solstice, sometimes known as Yule, occurs on or very close to this date. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the first official day of Winter. It is also an important festival in the Chinese calendar.

I don't feel a year older

It is wierd to celebrate my birthday at my job... No one knows (read: cares) about my birthday... actually I like it that way, just a little smile...that's all I need - but I need that everyday :-)
I actually wanted to be at Max's birthday party or maybe even be at the place where I celebrated my birthday last year...
Birthdays are strange... Suddenly one have to celebrate that it is X years since you were born, it would be nicer if people celebrated "Mature age" instead of. The first hair on the chest, deeper voice, breasts, first kiss, first fight with your parents, first "higher level" education, first real job, first real travel... People should celebrate that... (okay, I must admit that if I could have it like Jesus, I would like that as well...that a big part of the globe celebrates my birthday :-)....)

Monday, December 18, 2006

On Ungdomshuset

This post is only interesting for people who knows what is going on in Denmark these days.
On saturday there were big fires and stone-throwing young people in the streets on Nørrebro, more precisly Jagtvej 69.
The reason for why more than 500 young danes, dutchmen, brits, germans, russians, finns and norwegians decided to meet in CPH was to, as they wrote on their webpage, "get troublemakers from all over the world together".
In Denmark we have a building called "Ungdomshuset" (The Youth House), it was given to a group of far-radical-left-wings in 1982 because they didn't want to leave the house. It was given to the young people as a place where they could stay for a short while, until they found something better.
In 1996 the neighbours on Nørrebro and the politicians in Denmark decided to sell the house, due to the fact that the house had become a gathering place for extreme violent young people. The house was sold in 2000 but the young people didn't want to leave the house. (The house was sold to an extreme fundementalist Christian organization).
To cut a long story short. The house has been a place for various cultural happings, poem readings, great concerts, there is a big ecological "Peoples Kitchen" there and the house is a place for young people who doesn't fit into other instutionens. However, it has also become a place where law and order doesn't exist.
The young people always argue that "The Society" (The big evil) doesn't accept them because they are different, at the same time they throw stones at the police and hurt them seriously. The denie to give the house away, even though some other people has bought it. Three court-decisions has decided that the young people should leave, still they don't do it.

So, this saturday they started a big demostration on Nørrebro. They had placed different kinds of ammo in the streets (stones, molotov cocktails, iron sticks, trees and illegal fire-works). It was a very well-planned demostration that the young people made, and the police was a bit surprised over the resitance they met. It all ended with ca. 185 arrested people, 4 policemen went to the hospital and the young people destroyed shops, cars and buildings for more than 200.000 DKK).

I get SO annoyed when people don't follow the simple rules in a society like Denmark. People are dying because of various reasons around the world, and then a bunch of spoiled kids in Denmark decides to burn cars of in Denmark because of a house. The policemen were during their jobs, and got hurt. Why? Because some young kids wants to "have fun".
I totally understand that the house is important for them, however, they could buy a house legally another place. The young people don't want a solution, they want violence.
I find people supporting these people, musicans, left-wing politicians etc extremely blind that they can't see the violence that these young kids do.

The young people talk about acceptance from the society, still they don't accept anyone else. The burn fires in our streets and hurt innocents. How can one support these kids? It is not a minority of them, it is the majority of the young people in the house who use violence to be heard.

The friday before the big demostration, they had a peacefull and very good demostration in the streets in Denmark. People around DK supported them at that point, but when they destroyed banks, McDonalds, Burger King and other shops they don't get any support.

Please, do not try to defend them - because no-one can defend people who fight democracy and the laws of a modern nordic society with violence.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Things you never knew about Denmark:

  • Danish pastries are called 'Viannese bread' in Denmark. (The name danish pastry came from an American)
  • There are 5 pigs for every one person in Denmark
  • Denmark has recently been shown as the happiest country in the world by a recent global study
  • The word for 'journey plan' in danish is 'fartplan'

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Glædelige Santa Lucia

Nu bæres lyset frem
stolt på din krone.
Rundt om i hus og hjem
sangen skal tone.
Nu på Lucia-dag
hilser vort vennelag
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.

Her ved vor ønskefest
sangen skal klinge.
Gaver til hver en gæstglad vil du bringe.
Skænk os af lykkens væld
lige til livets kvæld,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.

That is the song I sang today, in front of our 1123 passengers... I was walking through the ship, dressed in white and with a "electric candle" in my hands. I must admit that the 10 girls in front of me sang a lot more beautiful than I, however I was the tallest there :-)

Btw, I have lost my mojo, so if someone finds a danish mojo flying around somewhere then please inform me.

Roger over and out.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Being sick and tired

Great timeing. I just started work and then I got sick :-(....not sick enough to stop working, just sick enough to be really annoyed with it. Furthermore, it is winter in Denmark and that means that we have a lot more wind when we sail (a lot of wind = a lot of high waves).

Anyway, I am working until the 24th (yes, also on my birthday...hint hint).

So, this week biggest news, other than the Baker report (Baker who has also done a lot of work with the Western Sahara issue) was Augusto Pinochets death. Finally, at the age of 91, he died.
He was a very powerfull symbol of all the regime there were in South America.
Interesting is it that Michelle Bachelet, president in Chile, experienced the dictatorship with closely when she was a child. Herself and her mother both got tortured in the 70's and her father got killed (He was very faithfull Allende supporter).

He will not get a "presidental funeral" today, but a funeral as other top-generals in Chile
(Pinochet was actually elected general by Allende months before the coup) and the reason is that even though most people in Chile dislike him, he still has some few supporters in the country. Even after his dead, Pinochet is splitting the country (40 per cent of the votes still go to the Pinochet-friendly rightwings!!).

I don't think he deserve anything at all, he was the dictator that inspired many other dictators in Latin America even though the regime in Argentina killed a lot more people. He died as a "free man" and he doesn't deserves more than that.

It is interesting that Milton Friedman just died some few days ago as well, it was Pinochet who got the "Chicago Boys" to Chile to improve the economy (and they managed to!). A few days ago, Pinochets daughter was in the media to tell that her father "will never apologize for anything"!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Once again: hahah

http://promotions.ampd.com/lilbush/

Lil'Bush will take over the school!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

One News (Special edition for Anicko)

A relativly small notice in the newspaper some days ago, showed a major study of wealth distribution and it reveals that the richest 2 per cent of the world population own more than half of the global household assets!!
And the poorest 50% owns less than a per cent of the world wealth!!
But who cares? I mean, just the fact that you are reading this right now shows that you don't belong to the "poor" part of the world. You most likely have an education, maybe even a computer as well!! So, why care?

This Christmas my mother and I decided to do something different with the Christmas gifts. Instead of buying gifts to, for example my sister, we bought her a "giftcard", that she can only use for giving 1 cow and 25 chickens to a farm in Malawi. All the Aid Organiztions in Denmark is arranging all this, so you decided where you want the "money" to go to, and what do use them for. What about 200 condoms to Mali? (if you know Danish, then go here and support it!)

Talking about what "anicko" mention in my comment (and thank you for that one, how was Denmark btw?)

Does no one watch the news? Hmm... personally, me and my friends were all geeks back in the "pre-uwc" days. My father is a politican, so we get three big newspapers everyday and of course I watch the news....oh yes, and then of course the internet where I update every hour. I know that not everyone is like that, but I don't think that all UWC's care about news (Or is it so Alpar?)
I have even tried to tell people from the college what is going on in their country before they even knew themself. I am not sure if it is always good to be, as you call it, hyper-aware. Most people have ONE topic that they really care about and follow everwhere.... I just follow everything, which also means that sometimes I have difficulties sepearting all the news. Yes, sometimes I believe there is a "over-flood" of News, that is also my problem with BBC and CNN, I don't believe that there are news 24/7. Nevertheless, we are told to believe so.

My biggest wish woul be if people would "gather" the news themself. If people could read bits of all magazines and newspaper, watch all tv-channels, and then collect only the important aspects, and of course different views on the issue. I wish that people could be more critical to what they see, hence I also like "google news".

What I don't like about the media is when "news" are not "news" anymore. For example, the Sahara conflict. It is quite a big issue, but no one cares (it is 30 years old news). Who cares about when 10 people die in Iraq anymore?! And how often do you follow the North Korea or the Palenstian conflict really closely?

Before I came to the college I was really tired of hearing about Arafat and Sharon, then (luckily) I got to talk a lot more with Itay and I started to discuss all the news with him. And that was amazing.

Monday, December 04, 2006

I love this text...hahaha

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

My day in Aarhus

I woke up at 12 o’clock. Felt strange in my body. A feeling of wanting to do something. Just something else that just laying in my bed the whole day (my main occupation when I am free from work). I had been talking in the phone until 03.30 in the night the day before, so I was still tired….

I decided to go and visit AK in Aarhus. For people not knowing Danish geography, it is not right around the corner. I live on the main island in a town called Haslev (Seelands Paris) and Aarhus is 3½ hours away. For a Dane that is very far, however after having crossed the Atlantic in a boat, it is just a ticket away.


I packed down the necessities; A tuborg six-pack, my Ipod, Siddartha by Herman Hesse, one black shirt, my blazer, my red/black striped shirt, 2 cokes I found, one bottle of Jack D., my diary, and my VISA card. I was ready to enter The Wild West…. I was going west…I was on my way to
Aarhus.


DAMN, I thought at the first sec when the nice lady at the ticket office told me that there were no more tickets for
Aarhus. Only in smokers’ wagon (If I want to kill myself, I would like to decide the way myself…). I decided to pay the extra dollars and got a first class ticket.

It was a pure flashback to my bus rides in Argentina, now I have paid extra, I would also use it. Bought the best newspaper in Denmark, took a cup of the free tea, took three of the free apples, took a handful of the nice Summerbird chocolate; first class can be a profit ride if you just use enough of it.


I was reading an article about the New White Trash that we have en
Europe. In the old days the workers wanted to go from the bottom to the top, they have a big social aspect, even though they were poor. They sang songs, went to demonstrations, and organized themselves. Today’s white trash works from the top and down. They get fired, live on welfare, isolate themselves…. Some TV producers actually try to make programs for these people. Programs without meaning. Programs that you can enjoy without thinking. Programs that I watch when I am not working.


“Ding-Dong, Next station:
Aarhus”. I had reached my final destination and stepped. In front of me a young beautiful woman was walking, I could see she was seeking for something. I asked her if she needed my help, and when she turned around I realized that she was blind. I followed her to the stairs, she needed to find her next train, but told me that she could do it herself. I was impressed. A young blind woman travelling alone in a horrible train system, that even I have problems getting around.

I told her she was beautiful and walked away. People too rare tell other people that they are pretty. She really was pretty. Incredible to think about that she will never see herself in the mirror.

My biggest fear is to get blind. Let me be mute, deaf, lame, everything else than blind. I can live without hearing the birds’ songs, but not without the great authors describing Love, Music, Fights, and Birdsongs. My personal library is getting bigger and bigger for everyday, please, I don’t want to be blind. My only fear is blindness.


I walked through the terminal, everyone was going somewhere, everyone had some kind of destination. No one is ending there travel at a terminal, it is never a place that people stop. It is the place between A and B. Beautiful choir singing was echoing in the terminal and looked up and saw a group of elderly women singing Christmas songs.


I went outside to wait in the rain; AK would be there in a few minutes. The rain was falling slowly on the streets and I thought for a moment that this is how I remember
Norway. Sad, but true.

The walking-street was nicely decorated with lighting all the way down, the shops were open (all with a special Christmas offer) and I thought for myself how much I despise Christmas and everything around it. My wish list only consists of two wishes. Number one is “books”, number two is to donate the money to Folkekirkens Nødhjælp or Red Cross. You can actually get giftcards now, so one can decide to donate 1 pig, 200 condoms, or maybe 1000 HIV pills. Now, that is what Christmas is all about!

I saw AK before she saw me and started to walk towards her. When I met her I couldn’t help thinking how lucky Max is. And vice versa.

We walked the 35 min. it took to AK’s flat a bit north of the city. She lives right next to the university in a really nice and cosy flat. One relatively big kitchen, two bathrooms, one living room and three bedrooms. All in all a perfect place for a student to live – the jealousy was growing in me, nevertheless I have learned (after too long time), to appreciate other peoples luck.


The music went on, the talk started and after 45 min. we were sitting with one frozen pizza, a ball with chips and dip, cold Tuborgs, 1½ L. of coke and a bottle of Jack D. The music was playing the songs, both the new once that fill out your ear in a nice way, and the old nostalgic once that goes deeper into the ear. The songs that knows the path to the
Memory Lane. The water pipe we smoked was the perfect way to frame it all in.

Three hours, Three phonecalls and one shot later we went out to hit the town bad. I was in a good mood, not only from the good company, also from talking with Mathias for 20 min., saying a short “hi” to Itay and from waking up Michelle.

We walked through the universitypark, down to the “Quartier latin” in Aarhus. Find a nice little crowed pub and started out with a Christmas Beer….and damn, beers always make me SLEEPY (except on Roskilde…dunno why, Roskilde just has a magic influence on me), so we bought two “Polar Bears” instead, little did I know that I was going to drink at least 7 more “Polar Bears” that night…. (for the people who doesn’t know “Polar Bear” I can tell you that they are made from 4 cl. of vodka, 6 cl. sprite and 1 cl. blue curacao)


Our goal for the night was to meet up with a bunch of Greenlandics living in
Aarhus, find a girl for Mads and then go home.

We went to a little pub in a basement where we started to “rape” my credit card, we bought so many drinks and I got in a better and better mood. I met my third year from Greeland (Helena), I met one of AK’s friends that I knew from before (Stefan) and then I try to meet all the hot girls in there….but to quote Mr. Powers: “I lost my Mojo!!!!”……. I hate when girls are too picky, so instead of finding a nice female to share the night with, I ended up having a great time dancing and screaming songs with AK, Stefan and Helena – oh yes, I found one girl. 36, living alone in Aarhus and from Greenland….. she was very interested in me, and yeah, I listed to her, but also try to escape.

Our next goal was “XL”.


XL is a place where there is a restaurant during the day and karaoke in the nights. We drank even more, sang a lot of songs, danced like crazy and at 03.00 we decided to go home again.

Before we went home we passed by a Sharwarma place to get some food – everyone who has been out in Denmark know that this is “No. Uno” rule!. Then Mads got this great plan of meeting with a old friend of him. I tried to call her, to write her, to scream her name and after a short visit at a club called “Sam’s”, I ended up finding her drunk in a club called “Social”, apparently “THE Club” in Aarhus. My memories from 03.00 to 06.00 are very blurred I must admit, so the only thing I remember is falling asleep happy and tired in AK’s flat.


I woke up at
12.00 o’clock when my phone ranged, took a shower for 20 min. where the only thing I thought about was the yellow rubber duck in front of me. The person who has designed that one, has changed the world of rubber ducks, because they all looks exactly the same….ehh, don’t know if you follow my mind, but what I mean is that ONE single yellow Rubber Duck made the whole difference.

I shared a cup of nice KUSMI tea with AK (if you haven’t tried Kusmi yet, then go and buy it right now!!!)


I hugged her, said goodbye, told her how glad I was to visit her and then I ordered a taxi so I could go to down-town where some family members were waiting for me.

I went out with my aunt and cousin to eat a nice little brunch, before we went to one of the best (and newest) art museums in Denmark, it is called ArOS and it mostly had Modern Art. A place that I would recommend if you should ever stop by in Aarhus.


The traintrip home seemed like 23 hours more than the 3 hours it actually took. My hangovers was killing me and my bed was screaming for my body.

A tribute


I took this picture on an artmuseum in Aarhus, I like the title....