Work Places

I've been busy with a writing gig the past few weeks, and I have been scouring The Hague for quiet places to unleash my inner Edith Wharton (okay, fine, legal briefs don't exactly call for that much creativity, but indulge me). Aside from our apartment (where I mysteriously suffer A.D.D. attacks), I have found three other places where I can put on my work hat:

The Peace Palace Library:

Pros: Quiet, well-lit and with inspiring views.

Cons: The cafeteria sucks.

The Hague Public Library:

Pros: Quiet, well-lit and with inspiring views.

Cons: The crazies that occupy any public library.

The cafe around the corner:

Pros: Caffe latte

Cons: Not quiet, not well-lit, distracting views.

I'll keep you guessing where I spend most of my time.

Jeepney in The Hague

The kids of Filipino expats studying at the American School needed help in preparing the "Philippine room" for their their annual International Day, and one of the excited mothers asked me to help out. Given that my artistic talents only extend to identifying color, "helping out" meant carrying stuff around. The other Pinoys, however, were much more talented, and the room was amazing. Here was my favorite part of the room (made by an executive who works at Shell - I have no idea how he found the time):

Not quite tulips

But pretty all the same:

[In front of Den Haag Centraal, on the way home]

First Bloom

This should be the real harbinger of spring:

Spring is finally here!

Well, not quite. But people milling outside a second-hand book flea market is a pretty good sign.

Short Book Reviews

Here's a round-up of the books I've read since my last post on books I read:

1. Eichmann in Jerusalem, Hannah Arendt. The book's subtitle, "The Banality of Evil" captures most of what the book is all about. Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for the transport of more than six million Jews to their deaths in concentration camps, struck Arendt as ordinary - he was not intelligent, he betrayed no strong passions, and was actually quite forgettable. His instrumental role in the Holocaust boggles the mind. An extremely good read. For the law fiends, Arendt has an interesting take on the legality of the Jerusalem tribunal. For the history fiends, she has a very informative discourse on how the different European countries reacted when the Nazis ordered the deportation of their Jews.

2. The White Tiger, Aravind Andiga. At first it seems like a very well written discourse about class struggle, but on reflection one of the best books I've read that dwells on amorality as an effect of poverty. It has left me still pondering. Read it.

3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon. A good narrative about the Golden Age of Comics and Jews in pop culture. I don't know much about the art of comic books, but I found this very fun to read.

4. The Gathering, Anne Enright. The most depressing of the books I've read this month. Set against the backdrop of the narrator's loss of a sibling to suicide, insights into familial relationships are interwoven with their dark stories. Really good and no-nonsense writing, but bleak.

5. March, Geraldine Brooks. Have you read Little Women? This book is the story of the absent father, who joins the Union army and undergoes painful experiences of his own. Mr. March is made very human, and as depicted, can conceivably be the father of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. The lyrical writing has officially made Ms. Brooks one of my favorite contemporary authors (but I preferred her first book, A Year of Wonders, more).

Back from New Yawk

We're back in The Netherlands. No pictures of New York; my 6 month old camera died just as I was taking a pretty picture of a dish of John Dory with Black Truffles at a restaurant called Winter. It was too bad the camera couldn't even live a few more minutes to allow me to take a picture of the Broccoli and Cheetos (yum!) side order.

The city in which I previously discovered Swiffers, on-line grocery shopping, crazy people on the subway and some part of myself still looks the same. It doesn't feel the same though - the people are subdued and anxious, and you can feel it in the crisp winter air. There's less aggressiveness, more thoughtfulness, and the daily whoosh that gave the city its energy seems to be gone.

Still, my previous stomping grounds entertained me for the two weeks or so that L was stuck in meetings. There are many new pleasant memories:

- Riding the Metro North to visit GA and her kids, S and T, in Connecticut. 

- Seeing AY for the first time since we graduated from high school, walking around Midtown East with her, buying candy for her daughter and drinking lots of coffee.

- A wonderful seafood dinner at the Fulton with L's professor and his wife.

- Spending the afternoon with ME at the Whitney, Serendipity and some random dive.

- Korean fried chicken with BL and JL, and because L and I had to go back for more, with Auntie E.

- Introducing Filipino food to our Indian friends based in New York at Cendrillon.

- Hanging out with my cousins at a bar in Times Square.

- Barbecue with DA, MA, JE, JL and BL at Hill Country.

- Having delicious Malaysian food with 3 of my high school classmates in, of all places, Little Italy.

- Valentine's Night double date with L, BL and JL, at my favorite restaurant in New York City (Brooklyn is still NYC!), Tanoreen. 

- Random lunch with L at the best fast food chain in the world, Chipotle.

- Buying 8 new books at the Strand for dirt cheap prices.

- Eventually tiring of fine dining, ditching a restaurant reservation, staying at CC's apartment and ordering take out from Holy Basil. 

Many thanks to JL and BL, with whom we stayed a few nights. You guys are great.