It's been nearly two weeks now and I still miss him so for the last time (I hope) a pic and video spam just to show anyone outside The Netherlands what we've lost and what you have been missing

After Martin Bril (writer) ,Simon Vinkenoog (poet) The Netherlands lost another legend:Ramses Shaffy.He was a mucisian,singer,actor and painter born in 1933 (August 29) and he passed away on December 1

Before I moved to The Netherlands (in 1990) I already knew his music it was one of the few "Dutch" things my mother taught me.She even took me to one of his performances once when I was 5 or 6 years old.I had no idea what the Queen of The Netherlands was called but I knew Ramses Shaffy and I agree with my mother he was all I needed to know about The Netherlands.Looking back I realize how incredible handsome he was back then and looking back at old footage from 1960s it's no surprise that both men and women claim that they were in love with him back then.Just look at this clip and you'll understand as well


The only other time I saw him perform was last year at some local festival (Don't ask me what sort of festival The Dutch are champions at giving festivals for whatever reasons) he looked old and fragile until he opened his mouth and his voice still had the power it had in the 1960s/1970s.

The death of Ramses Shaffy has effected me more then the death of Michael Jackson first of all I never liked Michael Jackson he was just some overrated weirdo in my opinion and Ramses was more then just a singer/actor to me he was part of my life.Try to imagine a Russian/Italian-Dutch/German family living in Greenwich Village,New York ,1979 and listening to Ramses Shaffy while a few blocks away they're advertising for The Clash!No matter where I went Ramses went with me.He was with me when I went to school in England wearing that dreadful uniform ,when I got pregnant way too young and was forced to live with my Italian in-laws when I escaped to The Netherlands in 1990 and when I moved around during 1999/2000 restless and no idea where I did belong.There's a Ramses song for each mood or place I'm in and not even The Golden Earring (for those who know me they are my favorite band ever) have that effect on me,It's like I've lost a life time companion instead of just some singer I admired from a distance.

I'm not the sort of person for funerals and/or memorial services they are always so sad about a person being dead and I think that Ramses would have agreed with me when I say "Don't be sad he's dead be glad he's lived!!!! " and I'm going to open a bottle of my favorite wine tonight to add to that.

Ramses Shaffy 1933-2009

Getting married.And since I don't have the time to write a 100.000 word essay on why that was the dumbest thing I ever done I'll just leave it to that.

None.I never liked his music.It's sad that he's dead but with the life he has had maybe he finally found peace.

I'm looking for a picture of Noffy wearing a leather jacket I'm sure I've seen a few I just don't remember where.

Four.I grew up speaking Italian,English,German and Dutch but as a result I'm crap at English and I speak Dutch with an Italian accent and the only German I'm good at is the FC Schalke 04 club song.

I do but both my ex-husbands didn't.

D'Oh  "Pigs In Space" offcourse I mean who would watch Sigourney Weaver when you can watch the brilliant Miss Piggy?

Snake meat in Thailand it didn't taste bad and I would eat it again

-Busy with work,kids and a new boyfriend.I don't mind the hard work but it leaves very little free time but it seems to be calming down now so expect new PSP creations soon.

-Thanks to Natasja for the Herman van der Zandt moods I LOVE THEM! Especially the dorky and geeky ones.
 <Dorky

 < Geeky

-Are there still people left who watch the Eurovision Song Contest?

-During the hectic last few weeks I did find time to read these amazing fanfics by nosunlight  called "Can't Stand It" and "What If" they're both Brokeback Mountain fanfics and the best I've read in years.

"Some people make the world a better place by being in it" If I remember correctly I used these words in one of my creations.For me Vincent D'Onofrio is one of those people.Off course I don't know him in person but his movie and television work make me forget my problems for a while.Books can have that effect to.I practically grew up in a library my father owned more then 30.000 books most of them were work related (My father was a historian specialized in landscapes) my father hardly owned any fiction novels except for a few Dickens ones.

The Netherlands are known for their painters but don't seem to have any authors that are world wide known I've found books by Dutch authors in foreign libraries but no one else seems to read them which makes them probably the best kept secret of The Netherlands.

Yesterday my favorite Dutch author passed away at the age of 49.His name was Martin Bril and he was best known for his columns in a nation wide newspaper called "De Volkskrant" but he also wrote a few books,essays and poems and he was also a co-host of one of the most popular tv-shows here.

But his writing was what made me a fan.He could write passionately about Amsterdam but also about small villages that aren't even mentioned on a map.Name it and he wrote about it with passion but also cynical and/or humorous.

I knew he was ill since he wrote about that as well but still his death is a big shock.Writers are supposed to die at a high age and not while they're so young.He was younger then the guys in my profile picture for crying out loud!

I don't think Martin Bril will ever be known outside The Netherlands he will be our secret forever but one we will cherish with pride.


Martin Bril 1959-2009

Helena after my ex mother-in-law just in the hope she would wanna live on it

I hate sundays there's only one house between mine and the nearest Church and on the only day I can sleep in those bloody bells wake me at 7.30AM.All those Christain politicians here are against the shops being open on sundays because it disturbs the sunday 'peace' but they never even mention those bloody Church bells.I guess the three old ladies who are still attending the Church services are getting deaf now that they're reaching their 110s but I'M NOT DEAF YET!!!!!!!!

I've always loved thursdays my father didn't work on fridays so for him it was the start of his weekend and his hapiness about that wore off on his kids I guess.I work on fridays but I still thursday is my 'happy' day

D'Oh Robert Goren from Law&Order:Criminal Intent offcourse.The only tv cop that seems to have a working brain.But for the laughs I might ask Munch from SVU

I don't write that much I usualy post only PSP creations mostly of Vincent D'Onofrio and I probably need to explain to some of my friends who he is.