Dublin

Dublin to me felt like what London would be like if everyone turned one shade paler, woke up with the worst hangover of their lives, grabbed whatever clothes were closest and went out for the day dragging on a cigarette.


This became apparent even on the bus ride from the airport into town, at one point there was a large bang from the upper level. The American lady behind me started to get excited. 'Can you smell smoke?  I think I can smell smoke.  Someone tell the driver there is smoke!'  The two women standing in the aisle beside us looked unperturbed, 'oh it's probably just a smoke bomb', 'yes', said the people standing beside them, 'it really smells of vomit upstairs'.  The American lady looked confused.  'You know like how you light a match in the bathroom to get rid of the smell'.  I should also mention the two women in the aisle were dressed up in classic British tart style, with despite not really the figures for it, the shortest dresses they could find.  Complete with a fake tan of sorts, the first time I've seen foundation applied to the legs!  Though if ever there is a lesson in not judging a book by its cover this was a good test, as after listening to them for a while I discovered one was studying medicine and the other law.  Later that evening, on the way to dinner, my friends were telling me to watch for dog poo and the sidewalk, but  then after thinking for a second, actually they said, if you are going into town, probably what is of more concern is avoiding pools of vomit.  Although I didn't actually notice any vomit while on the town i did have a run in of sorts at the first bar we went to.  My friend Mark, while looking for his work colleagues that were supposed to be at the bar, filled me in for what I was in for.  His friend Brian he said was very entertaining but was often thrown out of bars.  We shortly met Brian and his female companion, who in her drunken state instantly decided that I was going to be her new best friend and led me around by the hand trying to get me to dance with her.  This was soon interupted as we were approached by security who had a word with Brian and the girl, and asked them to leave.  Apparently shortly before we had arrived the two had had a competition to see who could down a pint of guiness the fastest.  The girl won and then downed the rest of Brians drink, unfortunately she shortly after returned it all all over the bar and her companions!


Thats not to say that I didn't enjoy Dublin.  The Irish do some things well, on one of them is drinking and live music in bars.  No Lady Gaga, just classic Van Morrison, REM, U2,  Green Day etc, this is my type of pub music!  I had a good night out bar hopping in the temple bar area, and discovering that some whiskey is much better than others, only Redbreast for me now!  The other thing the Irish do well is tell a good yarn.  On the Sunday, recovering from yet another late night I managed to crawl out of bed and make it to the city for a walking tour by 2:30pm.  It seems I was the only one having trouble getting out of bed on Sunday as I ended up having a private tour of the city. It was a very entertaining tour indeed.  I wish I could remember all the little sayings the tour guide used had but unfortunately the only one that sticks in my mind is what she said when she was talking about her love life. Apparently her friend had said to her 'Bev, the man good enough for you hasn't been born yet and his mother's dead!'.  Expressing my understanding of her situation, she later took me to a church to light a candle that she said would change my life.  Unfortunately there was a service on in the church and we couldn't get in.  There were some relics of St Valentine at the church, as well as apparently a shrine to the Saint of hopeless cases.  Guess I'm destined to stay hopeless!

Even the Lizard Scatters In the Sun

I read once that in the warmer climates they know how to handle the heat. The writer was comparing it to the Netherlands, where as soon as the temperature rises above 28C everyone clambers to claim the nearest window and lies there all day.  It is true, I myself have spent an entire party sitting in the windowsill, as moving anywhere induced layers of sweat.  Yet according to the article in climates where it is warm most of the time people just know how to get on with their day.  I don't think this is quite true.  In the middle of the day in Croatia you will find people fighting for the shade.  Even the cat, who in all the countries I have ever lived is notorious for finding any patch of sun to lie in, will be sleeping under the table.  It is just that there is a different pace to the day.  You rise early, run your errands, then when the sun makes it impossible to move life slows. It awakes again in the evening, when on any given night the city streets buzz with life and the village pubs emanate with the sound of local music and laughter.  Perhaps we do have something to learn from these cultures.

This is my life..

My cousin asked me to write this up for a family newsletter she produces and it seemed like a good way to start a blog so here it is:

Name: Jeantine Michelle Mankelow

Branch of family tree where do you fit in?: Granddaughter of Herbert Mankelow, Daughter of Ray Mankelow

Current employment / study: I am a contract software developer and currently taking some time off to enjoy the summer and think about my next move, but previously was working at ING and Tom Tom, and a small Dutch company called Strawberries.

What keeps you busy? interests:

Music - I love checking out new bands and going to concerts.  I  have always loved music, probably aided by my father constantly surrounding us with it, but now living in a city with a constant supply of good bands visiting this seems to have turned into a hobby. 

Travelling - I like to visit new places and explore new cultures, which is a major reason I am living in Amsterdam and not New Zealand.

Photography -   I enjoy taking pictures, my camera is a constant companion with me on every trip I go on, if you are on my facebook no doubt you will already know this.  I would like to do more while I am not travelling but Amsterdam can be a busy place.

Shopping - this one is going to get me in trouble with my mother, but what can I say I love to shop and with no kids to support and a good paying job this is possible (don't worry Mum I still have lots of savings :))

Cycling - You can't live in Amsterdam and not own a bike, and this is one of the reasons I really love this city.  You can get anywhere on your bike in 20 mins, and there is no better way to shake the sleep from your eyes or release the daily stress than a bike ride.

Yoga/Pilates/Dance - along with cycling, this is what keeps me fit and keeps me sane :)

I like to keep busy :)

Most memorable life Moment:

Stoned off your head and answering the door to the police at 3 in the morning is perhaps not a good way to meet your neighbours for the first time! Yet this is what happened when some of my friends from London came to visit me in Amsterdam.  They may not appreciate this story as they are still in denial, but you should be able to laugh at yourself I say. 

Part of the standard tour of Amsterdam includes sampling the local fare, marajuana, which is legal to smoke in the Netherlands.  As neither my friends or I smoke, we decided to sample the brownies, 1 each, first mistake.  Ignoring the advice on the label we ate the whole thing, fairly quickly, second mistake.  The night quickly turned hilarious and I can remember trying to hide from the police and  all holding hands like little kids when crossing the road.  Somehow we made it home.  The problem with brownies though, is it is a mix and you never know exactly how much marajuna is in each piece, hence why the instructions say to eat a little bit and wait an hour to see how you feel before having more.  Unfortuantely there seemed to be quite a lot in ours and after the hilarity passed we all quickly descended into the depths of paranoia.  It got to the point that we all thought we were going to die and we rang the ambulance for help, which always amuses people over here.  They told us we would be fine and to eat some sugary food.  Goodbye expensive chocolates we had purchased earlier that day, hello to my friend making glasses of sugar water following her own personal receipe of 1/2 glass sugar, 1/2 glass of water and forcing everyone to drink them. My friend who I called in the morning to help with the aftermath said he found piles of sugar all over the house.  I'm not sure what impression we must have given to the ambulance staff as they sent the police over.  Hence my first memory of meeting my neighbours is standing around downstairs surrounded by the them, and their elderly parents who where over for the weekend, all in pjyamas talking to 3 policemen.  The police, who were probably relieved to find we had not taken hallucinogenics, just laughed at us and told us we would be fine.  We spent the rest of the night taking turns hugging the toliet seat.  My advice, follow the instructions.

My favourite part of NZ and why...

My favourite part of NZ are the west coast beaches of Auckland.  Although there is many a sunny beach in Europe with white sand and pristine clear water, nothing can compare to the untamed wild beauty of these beaches. Or to the feeling you get from standing hot and sweaty on a lookout platform of the nearby bush and looking out to the ocean with not another soul in sight.

Who/what would you be for a day?

I am perhaps more shallow than I would like to believe, as I would not change places with some great world leader and try to change the world or some great brain to find out what it is like to comprehend this world on another level, but I think for just one day I would change places with a rock star to see what the buzz of being on stage is like.  Perhpas with Karen O, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who puts on a pretty mean stage performance.

Currently in my CD player...

Well too much to mention really, but some of my recent disoveries are, Band of Skulls, Angus & Julia Stone, Stornoway, Broken Bells.  Basically anything Indie Rock, with a touch, of pop, country and folk thrown in there.

Where will you find me at 10pm on Saturday night?

You are always spoilt for choice in Amsterdam, could be at a cocktail bar, at a concert, at a house party, at one of the visiting festivals, out for dinner with friends, or as this week tired from too many nights out during the week, enjoying some time at home watching movies and listening to music.

Favourite quote?

'I firmly believe in making your life a work of art.' - Katherine Oktober Mathews.  This is actually a quote from a friend of mine, who has it as her byline on facebook.  If everyone would live their life with this in mind, this world would be a more colourful place.

I am inspired by...

I am inspired by the free spirits who live their life with passion and live to create.  Their music, pictures, movies, writing leaves me in awe, and makes me want to create also.

If I could give you just one tip, it would be...

Never think you can't do something.  Your life will only be as big/rich as you dare to dream.  Or in the words of Franklin D Roosevelt 'Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds''.

Morning

I love Amsterdam as it is stirring... 

You can sit in the stillness then, breathing in time with the rhythmic sound of the water lapping against a nearby boat. Just being as sun filters through the leafy green trees and dances across the water making it sparkle like a diamond. It stirs for a moment and you hear the familiar rattle of a well loved Dutch bicycle, or the gentle rumble of an early morning boater gliding his way along the canal. Then the rhythm settles and Amsterdam is yours again.

This is my city, before it shares itself with the world. Before it wipes the sleep from its eyes and the streets start to buzz with sounds of suitcases rattling along the old cobbled streets, and it's coffee shop doors are flung open and its red light turned on.