The Difference between Holland and the Netherlands

Here is where I have to admit that, despite a solid Dutch heritage, I know very little about the Netherlands.  I am a second generation immigrant which means my parents were born in Canada but my grandparents were born in the Netherlands. Friends often ask me "What is the difference between Holland and the Netherlands?"  I have never really had a good answer for them until now because I didn't really know the answer myself. I would like to thank CGPGrey for a very informative video.  I know that I learn a lot.

I have always felt that we go about education in a very strange way where we have a teacher that stands in front of a bunch of students and talks to them.  After a certain period of time we take all of those students and then we ask them questions to see how much of the talking they have retained.  Based on the amount of retention we give them a score or grade.  The higher this retention the more "successful" the student is.

I like CGP Grey's videos as they approach education with visuals and other academic tools to try and improve retention. Being on youtube also allows you to watch the same thing over and over at your own pace.

He has a bunch more informative videos including How to Become Pope and The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England.

A little fun with images

So I notice that I rant a bit on this blog so I thought I should post something a little more fun.  Here are some pictures from our office holiday party that I framed up.

Learning about myself through home projects

I finished up a set of slide our drawers for our pots and pans.  The picture on the left is the builders standard cabinet with the half shelf.  We have been discussing drawers for a long time.  I finally got to the project.  The image on the right is the two slide out drawers.  I am not sure how much the builder would have charged us for these two drawers but I purchased the materials for about $75.  The most expensive part was the full extension sliders.

This set of drawers mimics the set my dad and I worked on putting in the bathroom so working this project worked out pretty smooth.  I enjoy working on these type of project because of the influence of my grandfather who passed away early this year.  I miss him and the lessons that he taught.  The most important lesson was that any problem could be solved if you really wanted to solve it.

Now this picture is evidence that I am just like my grandfather in many ways.  With the scraps of wood that I had left over from the drawer project I built this guy with the boys.  No scrap of wood is too small to be useful.  The boys put the face on and I expect they may paint him up in some way.

Memories are made when you least expect it.  Take those special times and moments that you share with your friends and family and make them count.