(Not) Getting a US Visa: What an Ordeal

Being an Indonesian when it comes to applying for a US Visa sucks.
- you fill the application form, you call to make an appointment (and this call is not free of charge and I'm not talking about the cost you pay to the phone company)
- you put effort gathering a lot of supporting documents (more time and expenses)
- you get your photo taken (they have a very specific photo rule that not any photo shop in town can do so that you have no choice but to pay more at a photo shop that can)
- you pay the (high) non-refundable fee
- you go to the consulate at the appointed date and time (going there also costs money - and time)
- after you pass the security checks, you wait for your name to be called (sometimes you have to wait way pass the original appointment time before they call your name)
- you get (a 5-minutes) interview in which they ask you questions but don't even bother to look at the supporting documents you have gathered
- then the officer tells you that he can not grant you the visa for some sad excuse ("I recommend you to get a status in the NL", that's what the officer said)
- you try to reason with him but he just dismiss you

I am upset because:
- I have a status in the NL. I've lived here since 2006 for god's sake. And I brought papers to prove that I am registered here and I can pay for the vacation but he did not even look at the supporting documents I brought
- Again I was treated like a 3rd class person

"Once an application has been refused, the decision is not appealable. Applying for a non-immigrant visa is not primarily a document-based process. The main issue in determining if an applicant qualifies for a visa is intent, and documents alone cannot establish intentions."
No, I don't intend to go to the US and then just disappear there and become an illegal migrant. My intention is to have a vacation there and then return to the NL.
And I do have a status here. I am a residence of the NL - Do you think I reside here illegally? I have a residence permit. Besides, do you think I would apply for a US visa if I were residing here illegally? I have university degrees so I am not that stupid.

I think what upset me is the combination of the officer not bothering to even look at the documents I brought and him telling me to get a status in the NL. That really made me feel like he saw me as a 3rd class person (or maybe even lower?). That was so degrading.

What an ordeal. What a waste of time and money.
Chin up... there are other (more) beautiful and nice(r) countries to visit.

15th Gay Pride Canal Parade 2010

It was a rainy day but that did not stop people (including myself) from watching it.
The parade was scheduled to start at 14.00 but it started a bit earlier.
On this very day there was a Gay-cruise with around 2600 gay passengers docking in Amsterdam.
Some pictures from the Gay Canal Parade in Amsterdam, 8 August 2010:





Click this link for more information on the Amsterdam Gay Pride.
Video of the 15th Gay Pride Canal Parade: NOS Headlines

Bitchin' About Holland

Today, just after we finished watching Flashpoint, I threw a question at my boyfriend (the matter of the question is not really important here and for the sake of this posting, the question had nothing to do with Holland). Maybe he was tired or maybe he had his reason but he reacted so disinterested and discouraging that I felt stung.
When later he noticed I was unhappy about something, he asked why and I told him that after a day with not really anyone to talk to, I was longing for some adult conversation.
He said that with me it was not really a conversation and that I was more looking for a 'bin' where i could offload verbally and that I always bitched about Holland (he is Dutch).
I wonder if there is some truth in this.
Maybe I am looking for a 'bin' to offload verbally but can you really blame me after a day not talking to anyone? I mean really talking - the small talks in a shop between myself and the shopkeeper or cashier don't count.
Maybe I do bitch (read: critize) about Holland but who doesn't? I'm sure even the Dutch bitch about Holland every now and then. Every now and then I just get so frustrated that I just have to offload - or 'to bitch about it' if you prefer.
I do try to be less critical (or 'bitchy' if you prefer) but sometimes I just have my moments. Sometimes I just feel that I fight this hopeless battle on my own. And during those moments, am I not allowed to be bad to feel a little bit better?
If my offloading or criticizing is seen as bitching, then bitching it is.
If I'm bitching too much about Holland, then give me a good reason to stop.

PS: I guess it's commonly acceptable for a citizen to bitch about his country but it's not ok for someone else to bitch about that citizen's country.

Gouda Cheese Market

It was not planned but when I woke up this morning, the sky looked promising that I decided to go to Gouda. My reasons were (a) I was just bored and wanted to go somewhere and (b) there was a cheese market in Gouda today. So my destination was decided. I had only 15 minutes to get ready and go to the train station in order not to miss the 8.45 train. This train would get me in Gouda just 9 minutes before the start of the cheese market.
It was not big - 2 rows of cheese and two or three horse carriage with a few kaasmeisjes (literally means cheese girls) and kaasjongens (literally means cheese boys) and a few adults who ran the show. Nevertheless it was a show on its own.
My first cheese market in the Netherlands.
Other than in Gouda, there is also a cheese market in Alkmaar, Edam and Hoorn.
Next cheese market: Alkmaar.

Info: Gouda cheese market is held on every Thursday from 10.00 am until 12.00 pm from mid/end June until end August at the Markt.

Second Attempt at Making Cupcakes

These are the result my second attempt at making cupcakes. Well, most of the cupcakes have been eaten. :)
I went for chocolate-cinnamon cupcakes and they turned out to taste pretty good.