CURRENT MISSION

making life fit / making sense

ABOUT ME

Life can be shorter than you'd expect it to be, so I try not to waste away (too much, anyway). You can always do more with your day, regardless of what you've already done. And now that I'm a father of two toddlers and a baby, not a minute of my day's spent in vain ;-)

I don't like living by a strict schedule, but unfortunately modern society (not to mention kids) forces me to do it anyway. I try not to plan too long ahead. Situations will always change, and before you know it you'll end up in a situation that puts your life in an entirely different direction. What use would it have been if you had already carefully planned the rest of your life ahead, along a track that is now scrapped?

One thing worth planning ahead is traveling. Planning that ahead equals dreaming, and therefore is justified ;) From the age of two, my parents happily fed my travel-addiction. Be it Greece, Tunisia, Venezuela, they took me with 'em wherever they went. When many years ago my mom passed away, one of the final things she said was "Go and travel a lot". In retrospect, she didn't even have to tell me. By then, it was already in the blood. I feel a persistent itching need to find out what's beyond that next curve, mountain or building. In every letter I write, in every penny I earn, in every stretch I walk there is a thought of where to go next and what it would be like over there. Dreaming about traveling is already half the fun. For the time being, dreaming about traveling is what I'll have to make do with, considering the kids are probably too you to tag along to the places I'd love to go most. But, when the time is right, we'll hit the road. With the kids in tow. That's gonna be interesting..

Previous traveling experiences got me interested in the different aspects of various cultures and specifically religions. Be it just the sheer beauty of a muezzin's call to prayer or the strange atmosphere at Hindu cremations, it's all worth thinking about. Have a look at your own life from a different perspective for once. It's good.

PHILOSOPHY

What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.

Interests

the world, traveling, hitchhiking, d.i.y., winemaking, aviation (my guilty pleasure), heavy music, live music, cooking, conscious living, indie-movies, computers, photography, religion, cultural diversity, multi-media art...

• arts
• photography
• beauty
• cooking
• aviation
• movies
• traveling
• restoration
• homebrewing
• music
• live music
• hinduism
• track and field
• communications
• religion
• science
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: from (mostly) metal to indian/bollywood and from goa-trance to arabic and reggae. Think: Tool, Isis, Ministry, Downset, Machine Head, Cavalera & co., Bolt Thrower, Anuradha Paudwal, Junkie XL, Fun-Da-Mental, Natacha Atlas, Tinariwen, Laurel Aitken, Steel Pulse etc. etc. Feed me some of your music - I'm always open for suggestions.
Movies: Fight Club, Cidade de Deus, Requiem for a Dream, Intouchables, The Matrix, Lola Rennt. And occasionally, the kind of popcorn-blockbuster-action nonsense, just for the entertainment value of it..
Books: Herman Brusselmans! "Lullaby" by Chuck Palahniuk. Anything by Palahniuk. Genius. Mastermind. But Lullaby is the best I've come across so far; recommended reading. "Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Burned all bridges behind us and set off hitchhiking to the east, towards Istanbul. Continued on overlanding through some of the most breathtaking places in the world. Crossed deserts, jungles and high-altitude passes. Sailed a freighter through pirate seas. Drank tea with mollahs and wodka with military. Witnessed a Tibetan sky-burial. Found love, myself & ourselves. Learned to know the beauty of new life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an (aspiring) scientist in the field of energy and sustainability. I consider myself quite knowledgeable when it's about the systemic overview thereof - historic, current and future dynamics of energy systems on scales from local to global. I am also somewhat of an aviation enthusiast - hypocrite as I am ;-). Last but not least, I have an endless stream of wild and bizarre travel stories to exchange.

Learn: despite working on the restoration of an old Mercedes 508 bus for several years now, I still need to improve my welding skills, and learn how to service old diesel engines. Also, my homebrewing hobby always welcomes additional tips and tricks in the arts winemaking or home distilling.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Oman, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands

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