Featured Guy of the Year

One of my biggest enthusiasms in life is photography. Before I lost my camera, I took so many photos of about anything every single day, chose some good results and personally exhibited them in my gallery at Deviantart.com. I've been very addicted to the site for it gave me soo.. many feedbacks and comments, which absolutely are essential for my own improvement in the photography techniques.

Just a few weeks ago I was bored as hell at the office. I decided to corrupt my working time and browse around for good photographs/photographers through my friends' links. One of the great galleries I found belongs to a guy identified as "indorock". So far at that time he was specialising himself in architectural/nightshot photography, which I found amazing! I watched him; meaning if ever he posts a piece of art or journal, I'll be notified.

Not long after he had this project of taking model pics called "Food Photogenics". I loved his works. I loved his ideas. So I commented on some of his deviations and he generously replied .

I checked his userpage and it stated there that he lived in the Netherlands. THEN I had this feeling of showing off my Dutch, which was very miserably awful, for not being used for years. But it was a phrase of echt waar I was saying and I was very confident it was the right term and expression to answer him. It worked. He noticed me! Until this trouble came.

He sent me a note, IN FULL DUTCH, saying: ik ben gewoon nieuwsgierig....voor welke bedrijf heb je gewerkt in NL? Hoe vond je het hier?

I was like, "Eh???? What the hell does it mean???"
I grabbed the phone near me and tried to call my mum. She's the one I always contact when I have a problem with the language.

"Sorry the number you're calling is being repaired," said the machine. Duh!

I didn't dare to answer him right away but I was desperately trying to remember who could help me translate.
I double-clicked my yahoo messenger program and there I found Sharif online. Yippeee! (Sharif is my friend whose father is Indonesian and mother Dutch.)

Me: Rif, what does nieuwsgierig mean?
Sharif: Curious.
Me: How do I say: Can I answer your questions in English?
Sharif: Kan ik je vraag in engels beantwoorden?
Me: Thanks!

Phew! One problem was solved.
So then I replied him. And I picked up the phone receiver once more, and enrolled myself for an M1 class at Erasmus huis. I'm learning Dutch again. :)

The sweet thing was that it didn't end there. Notes by notes were being exchanged and the chats were becoming more intensed when I found out that he had a yahoo messenger.

He's soooo... fun to be chatted with! Sooo broadminded. Sooo creative. Sooo cool. Sooo open. Sooo unsaint (and this might be the best attraction, hihihi)!
I don't know.. it might be too early, but I've found myself VERY comfortable talking to him, about anything. Comfortable enough that I gave him my phone number. On your note, I DON'T usually give my numbers to internet chatters. But this guy.. I don't know. I can't explain it very well, but he's quite unusual. In a good way.

He called that weekend. And the next weekend. And chats about 5 hours a day, e v e r y d a y. And every time we talk, we get more interested to each other. Ohh.. I don't know.. This should be quite unbelievable. But it happens. TO ME. Ladies and gentlemen, TO ME.

However it sounds impossible to you, it makes me happy. HE makes me happy. He brought my smiles back and I've felt that the world is more friendly to me. I'm not into analysing the future at the moment. I hope, yes. But I'll leave it in the time's hands (if time has hands, hehehe).

He's different, I can tell. I hope it stays that way. I know I haven't known him too long, nor both of us have met. But he assures me that it's not impossible. As long as we want to work it out, we will find a way. What a sweety, eh?! :D

So.................. meet Mark Mulder.

My most favourite photographer.
My most favourite debate partner.
My most favourite man!

I hope someday I can make him my most favourite love. :)