known as @hacdias
✏️ These are my blog posts. Visit the archive for an yearly overview.
A few days ago I read Kev’s post on ten pointless facts about him, and just now I saw Manuel’s come by. Considering today’s my birthday, I thought it would be fun to join the challenge and also share 10 pointless facts about myself.
A few weeks ago, a few friends and I visited New York. It was our first trip to the United States. This had been planned for quite some time, so, between the hesitation, the current geopolitical situation, and all the scary news, we still went. And what a trip it was!
The ninth month of the year is coming to an end, and I feel like 2025 is flying by. I feel like it was a calmer month in comparison to the previous months, but maybe that’s a false impression. Let’s see.
The, already twice fallen, Dutch government is still trying to get their coalition plans moving forward. Part of the agreement was increasing the minimum period one needs to wait before being allowed to apply for naturalization, from 5 to 10 years.
Het wantrouwen in de politiek neemt toe, terwijl politiek een onderwerp blijft waarover veel mensen niet willen praten. Toen ik Waarom We Politiek Niet Alleen Aan Politici Kunnen Overlaten bij de boekenwinkel heb gezien, dacht ik: “oh, dat klinkt interessant”.
Three and a half months ago, I started a new job. I haven’t talked much about it yet on this website, except for a very brief note in my June’s “Recently” article. I’ve been wanting to write a little bit more about it, and I feel like now is the right moment.
Nos últimos meses, tenho tido um maior interesse na língua, quer seja ela a Língua Holandesa, a Língua Inglesa, ou a Língua Portuguesa. Já há tempos que sigo Marco Neves no Instagram, e os seus vídeos trazem sempre múltiplos fun facts sobre origens, mitos e outras pequenas coisas. Quando vi que tinha escrito este livro, pensei: tenho que o ler.
A few days ago, I was able to tick one more item from my impossible list: traveling on the front cabin of a subway train. When I wrote that, I meant that I wanted to see the view from the conductor’s point of view on a tunnel. Since I was in Copenhagen and they have a fully autonomous metro, I did not need to go far to complete that wish.
Originally, I envisioned this item being completed as a shy Henrique asking a conductor for their permission to be in the cabin for a short trip, and how much of a security nightmare that would be and likely never happen. I would still love to see it one day, but traveling on an autonomous metro was incredible enough.
I also want to add that I’ve traveled with the DLR in London. However, my impossible list item was very specifically about an underground metro. There’s something about seeing the tunnel go by. I do admire people that do this for a job and see the insides of a tunnel for hours and hours a day, especially in a fully underground metro system.
A few weeks ago, Chris decided to get his eyes checked and I noticed it had already been three years since I last got mine checked. Since that is quite some time, and I had strived for getting my eyes checked every other year, I decided to make an appointment for us both at Mr. Brown Beans & Specs here in Eindhoven, an optician-café combo.
After seeing the book Surrounded by Idiots virtually everywhere, I decided to check some reviews and what it was actually about: communication, and “how to understand those who cannot be understood” - the quote on quote “idiots”. The topic sounded interesting, so I decided to pick up this book and read it.
August is now coming to an end, and there is something in the air feeling more and more like the autumn. Days are becoming colder, darker, and the rain is showing up again. That’s good, considering The Netherlands has had one of the driest years so far. Let’s look back and see what I’ve been up to.
In my last monthly recap, I mentioned I started running again, after taking a few months break. I’m now three and a half weeks in the new program, and I felt a bit of an urge to write a bit about how it has been, what am I feeling, and whether or not I want to continue.
Recently, while reading issue 37 of the Standart magazine, I discovered the existence of naturally occurring low caffeine coffee. That immediately sparkled some interest in me, since I enjoy drinking coffee, but I don’t want to drink too much caffeine.
It is warm. Or, should I say, very hot? It is very hot 🔥! For the past few days, the maximum temperature outside has been hovering 30C in the south of the Netherlands. Here in Eindhoven we have, officially, a 80 to 100% chance of a heatwave. I think that’s a yes.
“Interacting with others is energizing”. That was a thought I had around a week ago, and it has been stuck with me ever since. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most - also not for me-, but I thought it’d be nice to expand a bit more on this thought.
