Category Archives: Movies, Books & TV Shows

Belgium, Movies, Books & TV Shows

Boeken Kaften

Yesterday afternoon, I walked to the library to attend the first session of book covering (kaften).

There were seven volunteers, plus two librarians. First, there was a short demo by the older librarian. Then, we were each given two books to start with. There were sufficient guidelines and useful comments for me to learn and pick this up. There was a coffee break in between, a bit of chit-chatting, and then a continuation with more books. The two hours went by quickly and all the new books were wrapped.

I have never covered books in sticky plastic before, and the last time I wrapped my text books (in brown paper) were in the 70s and 80s. I have learned a new thing. Yeah to that!

I shall continue doing this as long as I am able to. It is a small gesture of giving back to this community. Maybe I will even volunteer some time at the senior home, if they are looking for an extra pair of helping hands.

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Movies, Books & TV Shows

Fiction, Non Fiction

I am reading Phillip Blom’s Subjection (in Dutch) during the day, and Ted Chiang’s short stories (in English) before bedtime.

My head is simultaneously filled with historical facts and fictional tales. Pondering upon the past, a possible future, and the current world events can be rather mind boggling.

At times, I catch myself going ‘wait, what?’ when reading. The line between facts and fictions is rather thin these days… 😐

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Movies, Books & TV Shows

Learning From…

It is amazing that I came across, not one, but two very good Dutch language books this year. Leren van de rijken (Learning from the rich), reinforces so many of the practices that I believe in. The authour ended the book with a quote from Bob Marley:

“Love the life you live.
Live the life you love.”

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Movies, Books & TV Shows

Good Read…

A good book tells you stories that you will not easily forget. A good book provides you with information gradually and effectively.

The month August is at its end, summer is almost over, and I have finished reading several books in the past eight months.

If I have to name the best book I have read so far in 2023; I will have to surprise you, and myself, by nominating a non-fiction in Dutch entitled: De diefstal van de eeuw (The Theft of the Century).

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Belgium, Movies, Books & TV Shows, Travels

Marke & Gent

Last Sunday afternoon, D and I went to Marke for its annual garden fair. It was rainy, but that did not stop many die-hard gardeners from doing their rounds. This year, D and I did not purchase any plants; nor cheese, sausages, honey, or soap. Instead we drank beer in the rain, under a tree, next to the stand. Before heading home, we bought a few bottles of beer (the ones that we have not tasted) and a small jar of paté.

A few hours later, D and I were on our way again, this time to Gent. D won a couple of movie tickets, and Supereroi is only shown at a limited number of cinemas. The weather was miserable in Gent as well, but I can always make allowance for my first European city.

Why was the film Supereroi categorized as a comedy? I did not hear a single laugh during the entire movie, even though there were only five of us in the theatre. To me, it was not funny ha ha, but intense, complicated, and sorrowful.

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Being Human, Flashbacks, Movies, Books & TV Shows, Numbers

Airport Purchase

Someone was interested in the book ‘The No Asshole Rule’, which I placed on the second-hand website almost two years ago. The person wanted to buy it for half the price I asked. D rolled the ball back to the potential buyer, negotiating for 80% of the asking price, plus sending cost. It was a no go.

There was really no loss on neither side. Potential buyer did not want the book enough to pay for what I asked, and I did not need to part with the book that desperately…

I bought the book at SFO, after a business trip to China. Do not make a book worm wait at an airport for hours, for no good reasons.

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Movies, Books & TV Shows

50 Years Of Books

My fascination for books and all sorts of narratives spans half a century. The following is a rough list of what I remember reading…

Angels. German shepherd. Nursery rhymes. Woodland creatures. Grimm’s fairy tales. Disney comic books. Enid Blyton. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Mark Twain. Alice in Wonderland. Robinson Crusoe.

DC comics. Marvel comics. The Naked Sun. Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators series. John Lennon. Mother Theresa. Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder. A Christmas Carol. A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens. Little Women.

2001: A Space Odyssey. Arthur C. Clarke. I, Robot. Isaac Asimov. Angela’s Ashes. Interview with the Vampire. It. Great Expectations. The Arabian Nights. King Arthur.

The Little Prince. Harry Potter. The Chronicles of Narnia. The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien. The Da Vinci Code. The Odyssey. Stranger in a Strange Land. Robert A. Heinlein. The Art of War.

Of Mice and Men. The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck. Mars Trilogy. Kim Stanley Robinson. The Foundation Series. Snow Crash. Animal Farm. Brave New World. Watership Down. A Farewell to Arms. David Copperfield. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Law of Success.

How to Win Friends and Influence People. Hyperion. Dan Simmons. A Game of Thrones. Homo Deus. Wool. Blindsight. The Three-Body Problem. Liu Cixin. The Expanse. James S. A. Corey. Redshirts. Old Man’s War. The Interdependency. John Scalzi. The Culture series. Iain M. Banks. Ender’s Game. Orson Scott Card.

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