New hair & new Ideas

I finally got my money today so i bought what i wanted to buy for a looong time. Fake Hair, ever since my mom cut my dreadlocks off I didn't really feel like myself anymore.... the person I looked at in the mirror wasn't the same person..
So I fixed my hair now it looks like this:

At 4 o'clock my mum and I went to my niece's atelier. The building where she has her workplace used to be government owned but they stopped using it so now artistic people from the area can rent a room and use it to give workshops, to sell their artworks. My niece sells vintage clothing, which she collected over the years. She's very artistic so im sure it's going to look amazing. her name is Romy Siobhan Sterkman, look her up if you're interested.

I helped her with cleaning the room etc. to more i talked with her the more i thought: This is awesome I want to do this aswell. owning my own shop, selling my artworks. That's a perfect way to own your money, But.. my grandfather is an artist aswell and i know that it is difficult to sell artworks because it depends on the people whether they like what you do and how consistent en motivated you are.
2 years ago I was admitted to the Academy of Arts but I eventually i didn't want to follow any art courses because I didn't think it would be something for me as in a career. Now I'm like well why not. as long as you're determined and you believe in what you create why not? What holds you back?

some photographs I made today:

Radhadesh

Photographs from Radhadesh, the Hare Krishna centre in Belgium.
 beautiful inspirational figurines

Natalie Shau

Artworks by Natalie Shau

           Natalie Shau herself

for my next semester i have chosen the minor “er was eens” translated means once upon a time. It’s about fairytales. these artworks defintely gets me in the mood :) 

First Experience

Hello!

Yesterday I experienced a 'satsang' first hand. and with experienced I really mean experienced.
The meeting began at 2pm and lasted till 5pm. it started with some chanting and singing. around 3pm one of the members i had email contact with gave a lecture about the bhagavad gita and why he joined the hare krishna. which was 
quite interesting. He first practiced Tibetan Buddhism, but found it to be too negative and so he joined the hare krishna's. I must say that we left the meeting with a big smile on our faces.

(made by pinar kumru)

After the lecture we started dancing, for them it was letting your self go and just have fun. for us it was the same. a woman pulled me and my group to the dancefloor so we jumped along with them.

I really had a good time and i definately have another opinion or view on hare krishna's.
now that i have seen it for myself i don't think that they are a cult. They have the same holy book as the Hindu's and I believe that they share man of their rituals. So In my eyes they are a religion.
But with that I have to say that is is the first time that i've been there. so i have to see more to really come to a conclusion.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                          (we were also given some flowers)
                   

Hare Krishna Study

Hi!

I'm so excited for sunday! Me and a group of other students have been given the assignment to study one particular group in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. After discussing different types of groups we've decided to go for the Hare Krishna movement in Rotterdam, where they are well known and easily recognised.
I had taken the responsibility to make contact with them and asked if it would be possible for me and my group to do some interviews and be present during certain rituals etc.
Yesterday I had an email from them saying that we are invited to one of their meetings on coming sunday. where they will be singing/chanting and dancing ang giving lectures about the bhagavad gita which is the holy book of the Hindus.

picture from krishna.org

The next couple of weeks my group and I will be interviewing some members and learn as much as possible about this religion who some people call a religious cult. I cannot decide on that before I have experienced a meeting for myself and talked to these people. I believe in the teaching of the Buddha and I have thought about many of his teachings and still do. I do not blindly believe in what is said. so I am curious to know what made them join the hare krishna and what kind of impact it has had on their lifes.

I you are curious about the hare krishna ( and other religions) and want to learn more about them. I suggest you keep an eye on my blog, because I will be writing about them regularly.

I'll be back on sunday!

Mermaids

 A mermaid is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish.^[1] Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including the Near East, Europe, China, and India. The first stories appeared in ancient Assyria, in which the goddess Atargatis transforms herself into a mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her human lover. Mermaids are sometimes depicted as perilous creatures associated with floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drowning. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same tradition) they can be benevolent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.

while looking through wikipedia i also found this interessting view on mermaids
The One Thousand and One Nights collection includes several tales featuring "sea people", such as "Djullanar the Sea-girl". Unlike depictions of mermaids in other mythologies, these are anatomically identical to land-bound humans, differing only in their ability to breathe and live underwater. They can (and do) interbreed with land humans, and the children of such unions have the ability to live underwater. 
I do believe that sightings of mermaids during the history of men is caused by lack of vitamins, dehydration and just missing female companions while being on a ship for months. Even a seal can look like a woman then.
but that doesn't make mermaids less interesting or beautiful.

* also interesting I've learned that children who have gender issues are called mermaids as well.
quit a cute name i must say.
* pictures from google

I'm ready! I'm ready!

waking up at 6am on sunday to do volunteerwork!
i'm ready! I'm ready!

At least I know that altough im doing only a little thing i am helping other people,
if you have alot of free time or if you haven't got a job ( like I do)
why not do some volunteerwork?

Loving Kindness

I've been into Buddhism since i was 17, since then i've stopped drinking and trying to meditate as often as possible. not drinking has never been a problem but taking the time to meditate and taking time to just be quiet, thats where im having difficulties.
My personal life, has had major ups and downs lately. so no better time to take some time for myself.

for me the most important thing is to act with love and forgive. i have to forgive the people that have hurt me in the past so i can live happily without grudge in the present and the future.
and most of all, be grateful. Live cannot be taken for granted. yesterday I did some volunteer work in a childrens hospital, after the stories i heard there. I realised that every parent, every mother should be so thankful for their child to be born healthy, because there are many who are not.

Simple and Feminine

Simple,Pure,Feminine clothing

all photos found on weheartit.com