Koninginnedag!

Like I told you yesterday, I spend most of my Monday celebrating Koninginnedag! I came across this description of Koninginnedag and it actually says it all:

Queen's Day
Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) is the royal birthday bash. It is celebrated 30th April (birthday of Queen Juliana) when there is some chance of dry weather, since the ruling monarch's (Queen Beatrix) true birthday is in January when the weather is guaranteed to be inclement. Many cities turn into a large flea market for the occasion. The Dutch save up their old junk and try desperately to sell it tax-free on this day. There are infinite street stalls, selling all types of food and beverage, spread throughout the town centre. In larger cities, the crowds are unbearable and at
times unruly. An atmosphere of orange (the royal colour) prevails as many celebrators dress in orange-coloured clothing and wear silly hats. There are parades, live bands and other forms of public entertainment. All in all it is definitely an occasion to be experienced ... once. (http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/bericht/89420)

Above they mention some chance of dry weather. Well, we had that; it was another glorious day. I say another, because we’ve been having summery days for quite some time now. It actually feels like we just skipped winter and spring all together and jumped right into summer. The temperatures jumped from 12 to 25º C in just a matter of days. Downside though, we're experiencing some drought! I can’t even remember the last rainy day, but according to the internet it was March, 22. Anyway, there was nothing but blue skies, yesterday.

I also told you earlier, I was going to the free market or flea market but I ended up seeing more gigs then junk (although some bands can be trash too).

The first band I saw is called the Amazing Stroopwafels. I’ve seen them a gazillion times already, because there simply is no avoiding them. They are everywhere! No, they are not, but they always get an invite when there is some sort of celebration here, so it just feels like they are everywhere. So, I watched for a couple of minutes and then moved on. Maybe I shouldn’t have because I stumbled upon this little scene.

You can’t actually see them, but it’s the Baden Powell band (you guessed it… a scouting band). I was actually a bit mesmerized by the guy standing in front of them. He just looked like one of those evil drill sergeants. I felt quite relieved when they eventually marched off.To be honest, not because I was that impressed by the guy, but because another band called K-bam could start their performance.

(front)

(back)It’s just an average cover band but fun was had by everyone, young or old, average folks, skater dudes & dudettes and even bikers.

On one of their breaks I went to see another band called Pluis & de Struikrovers (Pluis & the Highwaymen). Sound like a cute name, but they are actually a bit of a metal band. Not really my thing, but I just had to take a picture of the lead singer, not sure why though ;)

On my way back to K-bam I spotted this Queen (it’s not extremely visible, but she’s wearing a little crown) and her King.

This was all I saw from the free market, piles of left-over junk nobody wants.

Or did I just make a mistake there. Apparently people do want left-over junk just as long as it’s for free (must be a Dutch thing ;))

(another pile of left-overs)

Anyway it had a lovely Monday, I hope yours was quite enjoyable too :)

Robbie’s Rudebox became Dakota’s trip down memory lane.

Not sure about this title because according to the urban dictionary a rudebox means a dog’s ass….but hey, that’s besides the point! Ehmm….point, that reminds me of a round shape, which reminds me of a ball and oh, a game! So, if you are not interested in music, skip to the end of this post….there is a game waiting for you!

The other day one of my friends left a couple of CD’s behind for me to listen to and one of them was “Rudebox” by Robbie Williams. Hmmz….not exactly my cup of tea, I thought.
I am not a huge Robbie fan (I guess I’m too old for that) and I didn’t like the single “Rudebox” all that much, so the CD stayed in the same spot as it was dropped in the first place.

Yesterday however, the same friend came by to collect the CD’s again and asked if I’d listened to them all and if so, what did I think of them (for some reason my opinion seem to matter ;)). We talked about most of the CD’s but I meticulously left Robbie out of the discussion. My friend is no fool and quickly discovered that I hadn’t listened to it and reprimanded me. Bad Dakota….shame on you!! (Foei!…as we would say in Dutch).
After a while my friend had to go, I made sure he had all his CD’s (check!) and then waved goodbye.

I was quite astonished to find Rudebox near my PC with a post-it on it saying “Listen to it…..now!”. I, the ever docile Dakota, thought “Okay, if you insist”. I skipped the first song, which is “Rudebox” btw and then was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the CD. Okay, the first few tracks are a bit lame, but when you get to track 4 you are in for a surprise, a cover of Manu Chao’s Bongo Bong. Remember that one? The song is pretty much the same as the original, but I do like the added vocals of Lily Allen (ever listened to Alright still? Great CD!)

The fifth song reminded me of the 80’s electronic music era and is called “She’s Madonna” and is a song about……well, Madonna! (or Madge! as some of us like to call her). From there on it’s a lot of 80’s and 90’s music and you can’t help but thinking “Hey, I know this!”. Remember “Hotel, Motel, Holiday inn”, a line used in “Rappers delight” by the Sugarhill Gang? Do you remember the Human League? Philip Oakey’s hair (which is gone now)? I hate to admit it, but I actually liked the Human League way back then. Anyway, their song “Louise” is on this album. Or how about Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy's "Kiss Me (with your mouth)"? “What have I done to deserve this” by the Pet Shop Boys? Man, they say you are getting old when you can remember the original songs…...well, I guess I am pretty ancient! :)
Oh, almost forgot, there are two other songs I kind of like too "the 80s" and "90s” in which Robbie looks back on his life!

Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by the CD. I’ve listened to it a couple of times now and I actually like it. Why,? Because it’s different, he is even rapping (or should I say..attempting to rap) on this album! No “Angel” or “Feel” clones, Robbie chose the road less travelled, a big step but I think he should explore this road further.

Oh…. Almost forgot about the game! Want to do a little bit exploring of your own? Try this annoying little came. It’s a simple game, just keep two balls in the air ;)

<-- Click the Pic to play! Good luck ;)
(You can change the language on the left)

I started a blog, nobody read.....the song!

Today I discovered a song by the Sprites, which you probably know already! Is it me, or is blogging sometimes just as depressing as this song ;)

Fun in the sun!

Last Saturday I went to the fantastic music festival called “Concert at Sea”. I thought it would be a very small festival but as it turned out 60.000 people showed up for some fun in the sun!
And fun in the sun it was. Great (Dutch and one Belgian) bands, even better ambiance, magnificent festival feel and a lot of singing and dancing. I had a great day! But (there is often a but) there was also one drawback.

I was supposed to go with one of my friends, with whom I go to these kind of events quite often, but unfortunately this person could not go so I had to invite someone else or go alone. I opted to go with someone else and that turned out to be a (very) bad idea. This person didn’t know any of the bands, was sick and smelled like a polecat (which is not like this but like this . By now I can tell you which one I prefer!). Yuck! It really ruined part of my day! After spending a day in close proximity of a reeking person I am really convinced that they can’t smell themselves! I dropped a few subtle hints but that didn’t help. I was so engrossed by the stench that I couldn’t think about anything else. I honestly believe I missed some of the music stuff, just because I was trying to figure out how to avoid the smell and let people know it wasn’t me. It took me awhile but then I had it all figured out, as long as the wind came from behind me I couldn’t smell a thing……..hooray! I also sprayed with my deodorant a lot, just to make sure that people knew it wasn’t me. It must have been karma or something, Saturday I was punished for writing that earlier piece ;)

But still I had a enjoyable day which got even better when the headliner performed. They gave such a fantastic performance I totally forgot the world around me. Well, not the whole world. There was this guy standing next to me, who was somewhat of a tipsy party animal. We had so much fun! We danced, sang, laughed, waved our arms and screamed/howled together, took the same pictures and fooled around…..just had an awfully good time! That’s one of the reasons I like events like these so much, it brings people closer together…..even strangers (if they smell nice :))

Sorry guys, I’ll end this post with a little message in Dutch for the party animal:
Hey jij,
Hier een kort bedankje van de niet bierdrinkende “lieve” Jupiterster (niet i.b.v. van sigarettenwinkel en is zeker geen sigarenboer) a.k.a. “lekker ding” momenteel undercover op Voorne Putten. Ik wil je, de wel bierdrinkende, overal sigaretten bietsende Saturniriaan met de lieve glimlach, residerend op Walcheren, bedanken voor alle fun in de ondergaande zon. Je hebt van het optreden van Bløf een echt feestje gemaakt en zo werd een niet al te fantastische dag toch nog een dag met een briljant randje :) Bedankt voor het lachen!! x

BTW: Coldplay rulez ;)

Maybe I'll post some pictures on flickr l@er this week :)

---

Reasons to be cheerful:
1. The salty smell of the sea. I love it!
2. Music at a festival….the best way to enjoy it!
3. New friends and strange meetings!

Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight.

This morning I woke up with a song in my head. That’s not so strange, that has happened before. Usually it a song I’ve been listening to over and over again. At the moment I could easily wake up with "Mas que nada" by Sergio Mendes Feat. Black Eyed Peas.

Heavenly 100.

Every year one of the Dutch radio stations airs the Heavenly 100, a list of the greatest albums ever made. The station doesn’t make the list, the listeners do. They are asked to vote for their favourite albums, so it’s actually a people’s choice list. This was yesterday’s official top 10:

1. Pearl Jam – Ten
2. Nirvana – Nevermind
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
4. Radiohead – O.K. Computer
5. Coldplay – A Rush of blood to the head
6. Metallica – Metallica (black album)
7. Live – Throwing Copper
8. U2 – Joshua Tree
9. Coldplay – X & Y
10. Greenday – American Idiot

In my list you would find the following albums:

1. Air – Moonsafari
2. Faithless – Forever Faithless
3. Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
4. Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams
5. Jamie Cullum – 20 Something
6. Lamb – Fear of Fours
7. Live – Awake
8. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
9. Sting – All This Time
10. Keane - Hopes and Fears

Now, I am curious (surprise, surprise :)), what would be in your top 10?

Fabchannel wins Webby Award.

On the 9th of May it was announced, one of the Dutch music sites, Fabchannel.com, has won a Webby Award - category Music in New York. Great isn’t it?
So what is Fabchannel? A fun place if you love live music. It’s one of the biggest concert libraries of the world and you can watch live and on demand music concerts from the famous Paradiso and Melkweg (the Milky way) in Amsterdam. Fabchannel.com brings you a wide variety of live music in sound and vision. From upcoming acts to big stars playing rock, hiphop, folk, avant-garde and everything in between. Check it out!

80's Week

My favourite radio station is having an 80’s request week and that means they play only 80’s music, talk about 80’s news, gadgets and movies. It got me thinking about that strange, weird and wonderful decade. Ehmm, on second thought, I am not quite sure about the wonderful, though ;) Weird and strange it was! Was there, for instance, any other decade were a person could be a young, rich, sad muppet with no friends, and call themselves a Yuppie? Only then!

Other unforgettable stuff of the decade, in random order:
- MC Hammer parachute pants,
- Enormous shoulder pads made fashionable by Dynasty and Dallas,
- Legwarmers and headbands made popular by Flashdance and Fame,
- All those Miami Vice wannabees, a.k.a guys in horrible shiny suits or jackets,
- Punk and its counterpart New Romantic,
- The Ray Ban Wayfarer and later, the ‘Aviator’ worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun,
- Converse, Adidas,
- Michael Jackson still had some colour; Madonna was getting pretty popular,
- Big hair or cemented hair,
- Shoulder length earrings,
- A fish called Wanda, Back to future, Beverly Hills Cop, War Games, Friday the 13^th, Indiana Jones, Top Gun, E.T, Nightmare on Elm Street, Rambo, Ferris Bueller’s Day off, The Goonies,
- The Commodore 64,
- Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Super Mario,
- AIDS,
- LiveAid,
- MacGyver & The A-Team, Cheers, The Cosby show, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Transformers,
- Sega, Nintendo, Atari,
- Rubik´s Cube, BMX Bikes,
- Walkman’s, CD’s and VCR’s,
- Nuclear disaster Chernobyl, the fall of the Berlin Wall, plane crash Lockerbie, protest on Tiananmen Square, the Space Shuttle disaster, the end of the Cold War and the Rainbow Warrior sunk, The assassination of John Lennon and Olof Palme.

Some popular bands at the time: Mr. Mister, INXs, Chris Isaak, Red Hot Chili Peppers, De La Soul, Kate Bush, OMD, Tears for fears, Midnight Oil, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Waterboys, Depeche Mode, New Order, Bronski Beat, Water Boys, Salt N Pepa, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Dexy´s Midnight Runners, Adam Ant, U2, Cult, Queen, Men at Work, Alphaville, Talk Talk, Don Henley, Soft Cell, Bon Jovi, Bangles, Madness, Clash, Simple Minds, Genesis, Smiths, Bob Marley, Killing Joke, Prince, A-HA, Cure and many, many more.

And what was I doing in the 80’s? Who me? I wasn’t even born yet!! Just kidding...... I finished school, got my first real fulltime job, started dating, partied till dawn, learned how to smoke, moved out, found the man of my dreams (NOT!, but I was convinced of it at the time :)) and much, much more which I don’t remember or don’t want to remember. Oh, a selective memory can come in handy at times ;)

Bored stiff? Try this music brainteaser.

Virgin Digital published this music brainteaser some time ago, so maybe a lot of you know this already, but if you don’t and you like a bit of a challenge try this one. Try and name all 70 bands hidden in this picture. There has been a rumour going round that there are even more then 70 bands. Good luck and have fun :)

Reinventing Disco?

I just listened to some tracks of the new Madonna album and I am in a bit of a shock. She can’t be serious, can she? Don’t get me wrong, I think she is a remarkable woman. The way she keeps reinventing herself, her music, the way she perseveres, does all the things she is interested in, her looks and the shape she is in at 47…. She is just a phenomenal woman. But do we really need the reinvention of disco? It feels a bit like been there, done that. Or is that just my age talking?.

When I watched the MTV European music awards last week I was a bit surprised by Madonna’s new look. This was definitely back to the ‘70s, the Farah Fawcett (who?) hairstyle, the aerobic suit and big sunglasses. Oh my god, what’s happening? I don’t want to relive that era again. But now that I’m thinking about it, the new look shouldn’t be such a big surprise. The sample from the 70’s/80’s ABBA’s hit Gimme gimme gimme sort of gave it away. Listening to the tracks I also discovered a background loop that sounds a lot like ‘I feel love’ by Donna Summer. Donna who? Uhmm…. Donna Summer, if you are that young and you don’t know who she is, you should probably ask your parents about her. Some tracks even remind me of Italodisco (that’s what we called it back then), so not my cup of tea. On one track there is a bit of Dutch and my only question is why? Other tracks reminds me of the Ray of light album, which I loved btw.

But all in all I think the album is going to be great and certainly not boring with all the different styles on it. I’m willing to accept this from Madonna, who has been around for 21 years or so, but not from just everybody. My only fear is that wannabee stars think they can pull this off too. If that happens I guess I have to quote a ‘70’s hit by Gruppo Sportivo ‘Disco really made it, it’s empty and I hate it’

Kara-okay!

Give your vocal cords a little exercise!

Novastar

My favorite CD at the moment is Novastar by Novastar. I guess most of you have never heard of Novastar so maybe a little introduction might be nice.

Novastar is the stage-name of the Flemish/Dutch singer/songwriter Joost Zweegers. In 1996 he won the Humo Rock Rally and in 2000 he released his first CD Novastar. Joost went to the United States to write new songs for the next album but couldn’t find the inspiration he needed there. Washed out he returned to Belgium and he considered quieting the business totally. Luckily he met Piet Goddaer (Ozark Henry) and together they started writing song for the new album. In 2004 that new album was finally released and is called Another Lonely Soul and I love that one too.

Favorite tracks from the Novastar album: - Wrong, - Lost and Blown away, - The Best is Yet to Come.
Favorite tracks from the Another Lonely Soul album: - Never back down, - Rome, - When The Lights go Down on the Broken Hearted.

The hills are alive with the sound of music…

With songs they have sung for a thousand years,
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music,
My heart wants to sing every song it hears……

Okay, you get the picture… been there, done that… last night was the sing-along-a-Sound of Music-night, and I had sooooo much fun! If you ever want to do something completely different, try this. I can highly recommend it!

My friend and I didn’t dress up but a lot of others did… mostly as nuns, but there were also captain’s Von Trap, Maria’s and Von Trap children. In the foyer was a MAX DETTWEILER MERCHANDISING oulet, were you could also buy stuff to dress up in. We could not totally resist so we bought goatherd hats and some additional stuff to supplement the free goody bag.

When we entered the theatre there was Austrian music playing and the host was dancing an Austrian dance…..I don’t recommend doing that :) The evening begins with a little show in which the host will lead you through a vocal warm-up and he will show you how to use the free goody bag throughout the movie and suggest some appropriate heckles and accompanying actions (such as hissing the countess, barking at Rolf, yell ‘mountains’ when you see them, wave a piece of fabric when Maria sits in front of the curtains, yell ‘you can do it, Maria’ when Maria hesitates, shine with the flashlight to blind the Nazi’s, and, of course, cheer for Maria/Julie ). There are lots of these instructions but by the time the movie starts you just have to improvise because you simply forgot a lot of them.

Then, you sit back and watch the original 1965 (it was a good year ;)) movie in glorious Technicolor ™ with the lyrics for all the songs on the screen, so you won’t miss a chance to sing your heart and lungs out. The audience takes over as the star of the show from this point and almost anything can happen – the first rule of Sing-a-long-a is THERE ARE NO RULES! You can even leave your cell-phone on so you can tell your friends what a wonderful time you are having.

After the intermission there is a fancy dress competition and there are prices for the children Von Tramp, best dressed “whatever” and of course best nuns. The nuns I liked best. There was one group of 18 nuns and they had rehearsed a song just for this occasion. But the best part was the Whoopi Goldberg look-a-like. All of a sudden we were transported to ‘Sister Act’. Fun… with a capital F!


I had a great evening…. I’m sure I’m going to do this again.... sometime!

Pop junkie!

Is it wrong to fall in love…

with two guys at the same time? I think it isn’t! Oh, what a revelation. In Dutch, they would say: FOEI! In English that would be something like: Shame on you! Hmm.. if someone falls in love with two guys is that person then a sort of bigamist or an adulteress or just plane and simple, a slut? Questions, question, questions. So I guess, it’s time for some answers. I think I’m none of the above, because I didn’t actually fall in love with two guys, but with their CD’s :). Bummer hey! Here you are, hoping for a juicy revelation and all it turns out to be is just another boring CD review (or two actually). Well, if you are interested in music stay, if not, just GO! Push the Next Blog button.

So you are still here… welcome, I hope you enjoy your stay :)
At first I fell in love with Jack Johnson’s CD: In Between Dreams. I never heard of the guy until his first song ‘Sitting, Waiting, Wishing’ hit the charts over here. Shortly after that, ‘Good people’ was released and I liked that one too. Time to check out the album and it was love at first sight. Or should that in this case be: Love on first hear? The first track on the album ‘Better Together’ sets the mood. It begins with an instrumental introduction followed by his very sensitive voice. I especially like the first lines: ‘There's no combination of words, I could put on the back of a postcard. No song that I could sing, But I can try for your heart’. The song `Never Know' has great harmonizing vocals. `Banana Pancakes' is a real getaway. The sound of rain, some bird and the opening lines: ‘Well can’t you see that its just raining, aint no need to go outside...’ got me hooked the first time I heard it. It’s a great Sunday morning song. It's written about escaping the rest of the world and pretending like it's the weekend all the time. The song `No other way' is one that anyone in a relationship can relate to. Sometimes being together is the only way to survive and there aren’t always answers. The songs ‘Good People’, ‘Staple it Together’, and ‘Sitting, Waiting, Wishing’ all have a catchy tempo. ‘Situations’ and ‘Belle’ are short, but efficient. ‘If I Could’ and ‘Crying Shame’ really have a tropical island feel to them. His songs: ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Constellations’ really displays his laidback lifestyle. ‘Do you remember’ is a bit of reminiscing with just a guitar in the background. It’s a bit like a daydream and fits the album perfectly because it's very relaxing; listening to this album it’s almost as if you're in a dream or In Between Dreams.

The second CD I fell in love with is Catching Tales by Jamie Cullum. The first time I heard and saw Jamie Cullum, he was playing at the North Sea Jazz festival. And I was hooked. The way this little guy played, his sensitive voice, I had only one word for that: SUPERB!. I bought Twentysomething almost immediately and all I could think was ‘Wow, this guy is amazing!’. I loved the way he transformed the old songs, created his own and let's not forget Frontin’ originally by Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes). But that is all old news, back to this new album. The first time I heard it, I didn’t know what to make of it. This was different, so I immediately listened to it again. And then it hit me: different but great…. Again! Different is not bad in this case; I think it only shows development. The tracks mentioned here are just a few of the tracks on the album.‘Get Your Way’ is a killer opening track and basically the album just gets better and better as it goes on. ‘London Skies’ is a bit chilling, just as London skies can be. ‘Photograph’ is one of my favorites. I love the piano in this song…. goosebumps from the beginning.‘Only have eyes for you’ a real classic, resuscitated to become a hit in this century. ‘Nothing I do’ one of Cullum's own songs, is just fun. I noticed that this time round more songs are by him and they are instant favorites. I just love this album. Why? It’s a mix of beats, ballads, piano and jazz, it’s basically everything you want to hear. Just listen!

Sunday morning music

I got Jack Johnson’s CD In Between Dreams this week. It’s perfect Sunday morning music.
Laid back, relaxed!
Perfect if you are in no hurry to wake up, enjoy your Sunday breakfast and read the paper.

15 theme songs for myself

#11 Keep on movin' - Five
I hate to admit it, but this song always gets me up when I’m really down.
I woke up today with this feeling
That better things are coming my way (way)
And if the sunshine has a meaning
Telling me not to let things get in my way
When the rainy days are dying
Gotta keep on, keep on trying
All the bees and birds are flying (ahh ahh ahh)
Never let go, gotta hold on in
Non-stop ‘til the break of dawnin’
Keep on movin’ don’t stop rockin’ (ahh ahh ahh)
Get on up when you’re down
Baby, take a good look around
I know it’s not much, but it’s okay
Keep on moving anyway

#12 Greeneyes - Coldplay
In honour of my own green(/grey) eyes :)
That green eyes, yeah the spotlight,
shines upon you
And how could, anybody, deny you

I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter, now I’ve met you
And honey you should know, that I could never go on without you

#13 Video - India Arie
Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul
I’m not the average girl from your video
and I ain’t built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I’m not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I’m wearing I will always be ……………..me!
I’ve learned to love myself… and it feels great.

#14 Everything - Alanis Morissette

I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it’s going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby that you’ve ever seen
And you’ve never met anyone
Who is as positive as I am sometimes
I am the wisest woman you’ve ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you’ve connected.
I have the bravest heart that you’ve ever seen
And you’ve never met anyone
Who’s as positive as I am sometimes.
Like most people I can be everything… good/bad, down/up, high/low, positive/negative. You name it, it’s in here somewhere. Guess I’m human :)

#15 If only I could - Sydney Youngblood
Everybody all around the world, stand up all my brothers
Joining our hands, united we’re stronger
Fighting for peace, caring about our loved ones
Trusting ourselves, sharing our feeling, believe me

If only I could I’d make this world a better place
If only I could I’d make this world a better place
Oh believe me, believe
Believe me, believe, if only I could
If only I could…. With a little help from the good people here on 43things…………. I can!.

15 theme songs for myself

#8 Everybody hurts - R.E.M.
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on.
Don’t let yourself go, everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes.

Sometimes everything is wrong.
Now it’s time to sing along.
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you’ve had too much of this life, well hang on.
Just to remember that everyone has good and bad days.

#9 Healing Room - Sinead O'Connor
I have a universe inside me
Where I can go and spirit guides me
There I can ask oh any question
I get the answers if I listen
I have a healing room inside me
The loving healers there they feed me
They make me happy with their laughter
They kiss and tell me I’m their daughter
I believe everybody has a healing room and a strong inner voice. You just need to learn how to access it or hear it.

#10 No More Rain (in this cloud) - Angie Stone
I think it’s the ultimate “I’m soooooo over you” song :)
My sunshine has come
And I’m all cried out
And there’s no more rain in this cloud
There’s no hiding place
When someone has hurt you
It’s written on your face, and it reads
“Broken spirit, lost and confused”
“Empty, scared, used and abused, a fool”
Oh, ain’t it funny that the way you feel
Shows on your face(It’s written all over your face, yeah)
And the smile you used to wear
Seems a little bit out of place(Tracks of your tears)
People oh, hold on
In time it gets a little better, whoa

15 theme songs for myself

#3 Selective memorie - Eels
Part of the lyrics:
i wish i could remember
but my selective memorywon’t let me

When I was a kid some nasty shit happened to me. Because of those things there are a lot of stuff I don’t remember or I have erased completely. Good and bad memories. It is a shame; I still would want to remember some of the good things and I’m working on that

#4 Back to life - Soul II Soul
I heard this song for the first time, when I was on a plane going home after the fist holiday/vacation without my parents. Part of the lyrics (Back to life, Back to reality, Back to the here and now, Back to life, Back to the present time, Back from the fantasy) stayed with me ever since then. I know this song is about something completely different but it is still my going home song. After a great holiday I’m still going home to life, reality, the here and now and leaving a fantastic fantasy behind.

#5 Single - Natasha Bedingfield
Part of the lyrics:
I’m not waitin’ around for a man to save me(Cos I’m happy where I am)
Don’t depend on a guy to validate me(No no)
I don’t need to be anyone’s baby(Is that so hard to understand?)
No I don’t need another half to make me whole

Don’t need to be on somebody’s arm to look good(I like who I am)
I’m not saying I don’t wanna fall in love ‘cos I would
I’m not gonna get hooked up just ‘cos you say I should(Can’t romance on demand)
I’m gonna wait so I’m sorry if you misunderstood

I think the lyrics say it all. I’m single at the moment and I really enjoy my current single status, my declaration of independence.

#6 Love you more - Racoon
Part of the lyrics:
Clouds above go sailing by
I found my meaning in this life
clear white is flying in my eyes,underneath a blue, blue sky
The waves come rolling in with the tide.

I’ve been away too long
and everyday I missed you more.
You look like you did before
only prettier.
Everyday I love you more.

All the people rushing by, by, by
looking for meaning in this life
so used up, and blinded by lies,
They’re underneath the blue, blue sky
the way they seldom seem to smileI don’t know why.

’Cause I’ve been away too long
and everyday I missed you more.
You look like you did before,only prettier.

A beautiful song. I pick this one because there was a time I was lost, gone, down and depressed, but now I’m back. So I could say: I’ve been away to long, and every day I missed myself more, I look like I did before, only prettier… and every day I love myself more.

#7 You don't know me - Armand van Helden
I really don’t understand why people have to be so judgmental. I’ve decided to be strong. I’m not afraid of what others say about or think of me. It’s my life, and I’m living it now. Well the lyrics say it all.

I don’t ask for nothing
I’m always holding my own
Every time I turn around, there’s something
People talking ‘bout what they don’t know
And when I try to move on up
They’re always pullin’ me down
I’m tired and I’ve had enough
It’s my life, and i’m living it now

You don’t even know me
You say that I’m not living right
You don’t understand me
So why do you judge my life?
You don’t even know me
You say that I’m not living right
You don’t understand me
So why do you judge my life?

I always wonder why
People try to hurt me
No happiness in their own lives
So they act out all their jealousy
Who are you to say that I’m living wrong?
Always telling me what to do
I’ve decided that I gotta be strong
What makes you think that I needed you?
You don’t know me

FFWD (FastForWardDanceparade) Rotterdam 2005

Approximately 400000 Party people had a blast. The weather was reasonable, the bass was pounding, the people were smiling and having fun. And we all danced, danced…. danced!