Full of Dragons

Yes! 

The Chinese year of the Dragon has begun! 

Congratulations to all who will experience this non-stop 'roller coaster ride' as a special moment in time, we'll have a ball! I had to wait 12 years to be in this lucky position again, but hey I'm prejudged because I've been born under its sign. The anticipation has been building up! Why all this commotion you might wonder? The answer lies in the question; 'where were you in 2000?' I recall the tremendous amount of energy that was available 24hours a day, seven days a week. Possibilities hung heavy in the air, like walking on a bubble-wrapped floor. All that I touched, spoke about or even looked at, modified itself to a gorgeous kind of gold. I have many fond memories of that year; new friendships, nice traveling and great parties that I attended. And of course the sense of danger, for no Dragon can exist without a certain 'edge'. At the time of this 'new' Millennium there was great concern about computers crashing and systems blowing up.... well nothing happened! This time our calendars will stop, time itself will stop as we know it. I'm looking forward to it! But I'm under the slight impression I'll be to busy to notice it...

The thesis pressure has come and knocked me off my feet. Honestly, they tell you this on forehand but I don't think they should, cause no one can prepare for it. To grasp all you've researched and narrow it down to one cohesive story is quite a thing. In some sort of way my thesis is about order, reflection and symmetry; a simultaneous process of writing and application, in the text and visual language. Like the knight, from the game of Chess I march through civilized history of modern thinking and art. Collecting Pythagoras, Descartes and Spinoza like they were little Happy Meal figurines. But really, honestly there is no reason to complain! Because something happens while you are so busy grasping the essence of your story, you become one with it, or it becomes you? No one talks about this, but the sensation is exuberant! The task that lies in front of me is to sort the text out in such a way that the bindery understands how to make it into one piece. This visual presentation is dictated by the content of the thesis, so everything is connected! 

When I started this year I knew it would be a good idea to have a certain break, a special treat that I could collect when I was halfway there. After an impressive evening with Dianne Reeves at the Concertgebouw in December I knew I wanted another Grand Diva that would fix me up.  The website of Carré got my full attention when I saw Jessye Norman's name on their calendar! A quick survey told me these were serious ticket prices! But hey, if my thesis was ready and I knew what I wanted to show for the green light assessment, nothing could stop me. You can imagine the excitement I experienced when I walked to my seat, just two hours  after I'd finished my epilogue. My heart was beating like a mad man and when she entered the stage I could only let her wipe me off my feet.