Meaning “We can’t make it more fun”, which is the slogan of the Belastingdienst (National Tax Agency) here in Holland. Well, they’re not even trying!

Just a few days before I was about to transfer the substantial amount of income tax I still owe them for 2004, I get this letter from them asking me to transfer the same amount as an advance for the income tax over 2005! While this year is not even over yet! And assuming my employment situation etc. will not change, it’s exactly the same not-so-small amount as I’ve been wondering for weeks and weeks, whether I’d want to pay this in July or August to minimze the “pain in my wallet”.

Eventually I decided for August, because in July I’ve already had some expenses for the trip to Sweden, and new bed linen, clothes etc. And now they ask me to pay the same amount again?! Forget it! Oh, they offer me the choice of paying it in 4 monthly instalments, OR if I pay the full amount now, I get a 1% discount. Wooooow…

I wanna move to Timbuktu…

Meaning “We can’t make it more fun”, which is the slogan of the Belastingdienst (National Tax Agency) here in Holland. Well, they’re not even trying!

Just a few days before I was about to transfer the substantial amount of income tax I still owe them for 2004, I get this letter from them asking me to transfer the same amount as an advance for the income tax over 2005! While this year is not even over yet! And assuming my employment situation etc. will not change, it’s exactly the same not-so-small amount as I’ve been wondering for weeks and weeks, whether I’d want to pay this in July or August to minimze the “pain in my wallet”.

Eventually I decided for August, because in July I’ve already had some expenses for the trip to Sweden, and new bed linen, clothes etc. And now they ask me to pay the same amount again?! Forget it! Oh, they offer me the choice of paying it in 4 monthly instalments, OR if I pay the full amount now, I get a 1% discount. Wooooow…

I wanna move to Timbuktu…

Meaning “We can’t make it more fun”, which is the slogan of the Belastingdienst (National Tax Agency) here in Holland. Well, they’re not even trying!

Just a few days before I was about to transfer the substantial amount of income tax I still owe them for 2004, I get this letter from them asking me to transfer the same amount as an advance for the income tax over 2005! While this year is not even over yet! And assuming my employment situation etc. will not change, it’s exactly the same not-so-small amount as I’ve been wondering for weeks and weeks, whether I’d want to pay this in July or August to minimze the “pain in my wallet”.

Eventually I decided for August, because in July I’ve already had some expenses for the trip to Sweden, and new bed linen, clothes etc. And now they ask me to pay the same amount again?! Forget it! Oh, they offer me the choice of paying it in 4 monthly instalments, OR if I pay the full amount now, I get a 1% discount. Wooooow…

I wanna move to Timbuktu…

Awkward phonecall

Other end: “This is Tim’s answering ma…” – “Hello?”
I: “Could I speak to Tim please?”
Chinese female voice: “Tim is in I-re-land”
I: “Oh, too bad.”
CFV: But you can call his mobile phone”
I: “Great. Could you give me the number please?”
CFV: “Sorry I don’t have it” …
I: “Oh well. BTW, yesterday was his birthday, right?”
CFV: “I don’t know” (oops…)
I: “Are you Haili, by the way?” (Tim’s and my Chinese teacher)
CFV: “No, Scarlet” (oops again)
I: “Oh okay, sorry. I’ll call again some other time”

(they) just (don’t) do it!

I agree completely with Paul de Bruin, when he complained about postal delivery of packages. Although for me it was even worse: they don’t even seem to have bothered ringing my doorbell (properly), cause I was home all morning, yet still got a “You were not at home” notice in my mailbox. So the standard procedure then is to deliver it again on the next business day: that’s right, on Monday, when definitely no one is at home. So, I’ll have to go and pick it up at the nearest post office, which only opens between 9:00 and 12:30 on weekdays, *not* on Saturdays. That means I have to come into work late, or even take a morning off…

And on the first day after the failed delivery, it won’t even be there until 10:00… Grrrr… I hate the privatized TPG Post, whose tagline is: “Gewoon doen” meaning: “Just do it”.
“They just don’t do it” would be more accurate…

Back to Work

Went back to work today. My colleague N. called it “heroism” to be starting work so soon again. But since my project manager (de facto: boss) was okay with me shifting my work hours today, from 12-8 pm, it wasn’t such a big deal. Or so I thought. In fact, it took me about the whole day to wake up 100%. It wasn’t after dinner (lunch Toronto time?) at 7pm that I started to feel fresh. When it was almost time to go again

But, it was good to be back, and useful to refresh my memory about those things I’d been doing 2 weeks ago. Tried to make a planning for the coming weeks, and am already feeling overwhelmed by all that has to be done. Help…!

For the first time, I was the last one to leave the building, and therefore had to turn on the alarm and lock the door. Before that, I had to make sure no one was still in the building, which of course I double (no triple) checked, but you never know. If someone was hiding under his desk or in the closet with an MP3 player on, so I didn’t see *them*, and *they* didn’t hear *me*, that’s too bad then. I’m sure they will have heard the alarm eventually.

April Fools

If you’re not too gullible, you won’t have much difficulties doing this April Fools’ Quiz by The Guardian. I scored 9 out of 9… (ok, a bit of luck cannot be denied: I guessed 2 answers)

Wedding in NYC

Today, on Holy (Maundy?) Thursday my Swedish friend Evelien and her fiancé Hans, who live in Gothenburg, are getting married. Gratulerar!
Interesting detail: they will be married in The Swedish Church in New York City…

Celebration with friends to be held back home on Saturday June 4th.
I hope I can make it there…

(Updated on March 27 when I got the official invitation)

Sad…

Today when I got home, I found a handwritten envelope. At first I was glad to receive something else than the usual “window envelopes” (with preprinted name + address). Then I noticed the envelope had a gray border. Someone passed on. It turned out it was the father of my friend that I went to high school with, and the only one I still keep in touch with, even though he lives in England. And I’d been trying to call him since Wednesday! No wonder no one picked up…

Even though one of my uncles passed away in December, somehow this one feels so much closer, because it’s my classmate who is the same age as me. So it feels like it could happen to me, too (i.e. my father passing on). Of course, I know it will inevitably happen, but still… Even though my friend’s father was 9 years older than mine, and about the same age as that uncle, still there are no comforting certainties in life. Only that it is bound to happen.

New Year’s Plans

Happy New Year to everyone who reads this!
May the new year bring you health, wealth, luck, and love…
(actually, I don’t find the the wealth and luck that important, compared to the other two, but my Chinese ancestors / relatives do, and phonetically they fit nicely into the list)

Since I once resolved not to have any new year’s resolutions, the list below is not one of those. I do however have some plans for this year, which can be grouped into the following categories: