11.08.09
New blog - Nicholas Blok’s Blog
Hi all,
Thanks for visiting my blog. This blog will still sometimes be updated, but my new blog is much more fun and interesting.
Go to nicholasblok.wordpress.com
Nicholas Blok
31.07.09
Copenhagen – Århus easily done by bike (Travelling in Denmark)
My friend asked me what I was doing for my holiday and at that point I hadn’t decided yet. “Travel around Denmark on bike with me” he gladly suggested. You can properly understand the scepticism I immediately felt about spending my precious holiday on hurting my bum on a saddle while getting soaked by rain.
But just arriving from a year abroad in Holland where nature is even more rare than here and then spending a week at a totally overcrowded Roskilde Festival I figured fresh air and open spaces in the Danish hilled landscape was the thing for me.
So with very little time to prepare I manage to borrow two bicycle bags to put on my mountain bike and I attached my tent and my air mattress and I was set to go. My dear father, who is an experienced biker, told me some very wise words: “take everything you need to bring on a bicycle trip and place them in front of you. Then take half away! Then place the bicycle repair gear next to your luggage and remove the luggage to make room for the repair gear.”
Our first day began very early because that is what true bikers do apparently, and in my very very tight pants with padding in the crotch and an elastic sponsorship shirt we began our adventure. Our first goal was North-West Zealand somewhere.
We actually managed to bike across northern Zealand in no time and after taking a couple of small ferries to cross the Roskilde Bay we where swimming in the ocean in the summerhouse paradise of Rørvig.
Despite worries of hurting legs, we continue all the way to Odden and from there we just needed to take the ferry to Ebeltoft, Jutland.
You can actually take the ferry straight to Århus, but we where not in it for the speed but for the pleasure, and after yet another ferry sailing, we arrived a lot futher than we first anticipated.
We had biked 110 km, sailed with 3 ferries and swam twice in the ocean. All in one day and we still had the energy to find the natural camping site at a farm and put up the tent. There we met a couple, who was bicycling around Jutland and staying at natural camping sites and farms and living there for free. The shared some hot chocolate with us at a very nice camp fire and that day ended after 14 tiring hours.
I’ll admit to the sore legs and hurting ass, but actually I couldn’t wait to get on the bike again. We biked through the beautiful landscape of Djursland with its high hills and had lunch at Kalø castle, which is a very impressive citadel on a slim peninsula. We biked about 70 km all the way to Århus, and where just in time to see the very exiting stage of Tour de France with Frank Sleck as winner. And I knew exactly how the riders felt because these guys and I where bikers, oh yeah!
A dear friend opened up the doors to her apartment for me in Århus so my accommodation was free and the only money I had spend on travelling so far was the ferry tickets from the day before. Even food and drinks where plundered from my fridge the day before so a very cheap trip in that regard.
After some nice days in Århus I decided to bike home to Copenhagen and my friend would continue further into the dark Jutland. He is still in there somewhere and I hope he is doing ok…
This small trip had been surprisingly pleasingly relaxing and definitely something I would do again. What bugged me the most on this trip though, was that the one way ferry ticket was 315,- dkkr. A car is only 600,- dkkr, so two bikers are even more expensive than one car!
I was quite angry about this so I decided to hitch hike. But after three hours in the rain and even some storm at one point without one person stopping, I decided against my inner will to buy the ticket. Arrrgh! Stupid ferry people with their irritating smelly cafeterias and over priced hot dogs.
Arriving at Odden I jumped on my bike and gave it all I got. I only biked about 40 km and stopped at my sisters place near Holbæk. I am pretty sure I could have made it all the way to Copenhagen that day but decided to stay the night and enjoy a free meal and loving family.
The last day was about 80 km and took me less than four hours even with a stop to swim in the Roskilde Bay. I was very proud with my little holiday and I had only spent money on a stupid boat and a couple of drinks.
If you are willing you can actually travel between Århus and Copenhagen in one day by bike. But watch out for those ferry pirates, that plunders your budget just because you are a little environmentally friendly and doesn’t own a car.
Mols Linien
07.07.09
Well returned and what a trip…
My apologies for not writing sooner but it has been a very emotional month for me.
About 30 minutes ago I decided to take my mothers bike and let it take me around in my old neighbourhood in the northern Copenhagen. It took me to the top of Aase hill where the beautiful view of Soul Lake melts into one with the scattered clouds on the blue sky.
I’ve brought a Danish Ale and my laptop and from here my mind can run through the amazing experiences I’ve had lately.
I wonder what Dalai Lama would think of this view and what thoughts he would have.
A month ago it was very clear that the KaosPilots in Rotterdam had come to an end and I had to seek new adventures. It had also become very clear to me, that my drifting life of chasing happiness abroad had been a never ending chase cause happiness can only be found within.
And here I stand with the opportunity to go to Aarhus on the other side of Denmark to continue the KaosPilots and not be so far away from the place I love the most in the world, Copenhagen.
The last two weeks in Rotterdam was mostly about closing down and saying goodbye to some wonderful people. Leaving a place that frank fully never felt like home but the people I’ve meet certainly has made a large impact.
The last year has gone bye sooo fast that I now will spend some time finding out what I really learned. What I can feel is that I’ve learned more about myself that I ever thought possible and I learned more about people that I ever would have imagined.
I dedicate the next week to reflect and once I have a better idea I will let you now ☺
08.06.09
Dalai Lama was in town
The other day I was so fortunate to be in the present of the spiritual leader of Dalai Lama. I didn’t get to meet him, but I did get to share him with 500 of the Dutch elite in business and sustainability.
- Dalai Lama and crew
Why you might ask?
Well, the good thing about being part of a school that works outside of the boarders of normal behaviour is that other people notice us. So when the organizer of the conference Leadership for a Sustainable World asks us if our team would like to facilitate dialogues at the conference and give us free entrance instead of paying Euros 799,- (!!!!!) we gladly accepted.
This conference focused on how managers can take leadership in sustainability and we as KaosPilots where asked to learn what the attendances thought about this. We met up early morning and was told to fit into the crowd and just make sure that we where only one facilitator per table.
By appearance we didn’t really fit into the crowd since most other guests than us had decided to look like they could afford the ticket out of their own pocket. My collegue Loek was twice told not to touch what was for the guests of the conference even though he had just as much right as anyone else… I can conclude that sustainability is not only for hippies and tree huggers anymore apparently…
I decided to sit at a table near the stage where three ladies where already seated and started small talk. After a while more people joined the table and we introduced ourselves. We where a female Buddhist monk, a brain surgeon, the CEO of a sustainable Bank Triodos (Which recently became the best in the world by Financial Times and he later gave a speech about it), Polly Higgens, who is a famous Barrister and environmentalist in UK, the former Dutch minister of Integration, Roger van Boxtel, and very much to my surprise the three ladies where Princess Irene of Holland (sister of Queen Beatrix), her assistant and her friend. And then there was me…
After a bit of introduction the conference started and some nice music and a couple of speakers opened up for debate. This is where it becomes interesting. I then facilitated the debate on sustainability and asked my elite collection of semi-famousosity to please take turns when speaking and stick to the subject. (Apparently I did a good job cause the princess suggested to meet up for a chat another day).
- Princess and her crew
My experience with the Dalai Lama was just another great episode in this weird day where sustainability, enlightenment and business went hand in hand. He spoke for an hour and a half answering questions from the audience. It was learningful and fun to hear him talk but most of all I enjoyed his great karma and energy that comes from 5 hours of meditation a day. A more open minded person is hard to find.
03.06.09
Quite essentially we are humans with dreams
When you are born your world is very large and there are no boarders to your imagination. As you get senses you learn to fall into the boarders of life. You are given these senses to give you guidelines of life but as you learn more and more your world becomes smaller and smaller and neatly you are fitted into a box. Society is your boarders and you may have no conscious of your choice: That you can step out of this box!
It is scary to step out because where does it end and what if it doesn’t? What if everything is possible? What life essentially is about is not braking those boarders but finding them and then go dancing with them in a tango of emotions. Learn what you can and the more you educate your self in life you will see how deluded you are.
Let go of a boarder of a box and see how exiting it can be. It is more fascinating and emotional than any tv show or other passive action. Life is all about emotions. They are all you really have so I would advice you to use them to feel good. Understand that you need to be unhappy to know what happiness is and life is about expanding either way. Look into your true authenticity and find your core motivations. The things that matters to you such as making others happy or being intellectually challenged. It can also be playing the guitar or solving mathematical issues.
Once you have discovered your point of beginning and found your soul it is time to go on discovery and find out how far you can really go. Authenticity is an outward funnel that starts from your core and spreads through your dreams, to your thoughts, to your possibilities and to your actions.
03.05.09
The clash!
Would you buy anything from this guy?
It’s funny!
Every time I research a marketing company I always get so disappointed in their very DRAMATIC and OVERENTHUSIASTIC approach towards potential clients.
I like marketing and the possibilities it brings such as being creative, seeing growth potential and learning about psychology and human behaviour. But I feel that marketing is viewed as something that has to shout in your face to get your attention, and if you aren’t paying enough attention then they will make sure that they use the right medias to reach you and shout some more.
The more advertising and commercials we are being exposed to, the more we learn to ignore it. And if we ignore it then the marketing has to be bigger, louder and constantly.
This has gone on for a long time but things have change. The internet has made it possible for us to search what we like and it is not anymore about being loudest or biggest, but about being the best.
So when companies tries dramatically and overenthusiastic to get my attention I tend to look the other way and find the ones that doesn’t have to shout because they actually are concentrating on being the best at what they do.
And don’t forget, I am really the best at authentic marketing! “Clash”!
30.04.09
Was Chrysler authentic?
Today is worth marking as a historic day. It is neither a celebration or grief cause a huge polluting corporation went bankrupt nor a lot of people might have lost their jobs.
The reason to take notes of this peculiar day is that we are facing change and it has happened because of a greater movement.
The very same powers of the monetary system that made Chrysler the enormous company it was, has now spoken and deserted it. Even president Obama said at a press conference that the reason for Chryslers down fall is because of the lack to invest in new technology that would have provided greener, cleaner and more environmental friendly cars.
My question is: Was Chrysler authentic and true towards its reason for existence or was Chrysler so tangle up in trying to survive that they forgot what it was all about?
I believe that Chrysler did not know its motivations and lost track of their goals. And not knowing where to go in bad times makes you want to go in many directions to seek out opportunities that might save you. In the end nobody are willing to take any responsibility and the driving force is gone.
It is like saying you want to have fun but can’t decide where to go and in the end you forget to have fun because you where so worried about what was best.
Decide what is the most fun for you and then go there. That is connecting to your true core motivations and being authentic.
28.04.09
Thought of the day
Level & Layers finds unity between people and business by:
Working with people and their ideas to redesign social processes and working enviroments
26.04.09
People likes the climate…!
Whenever I stumble upon an initiative that I see is related to finding unity between people and business, I am surprised how it in most cases also relates to environmental issues.
Finding unity between people and business is about making the world you have at work and the world you have in your “free time” melt into one. The view of working because you must stay alive in a society build on economics and the monetary system is something I believe should be broken.
It is about living and wanting to be part of the work you do and find drive from your passions and core motivations. And when it comes to passion I often discover that it relates to helping the environment and preventing the climate crisis.
Last week 6 KaosPilots including me, worked with the municipal of Oss. It is a town of 70.000 people in the middle of Holland and they have made the impossible possible and build a Future Center. A Future Center consists of creative offices and rooms where inspiration and innovation have free flow. It is a mindset where the normal conventional way of having meetings, working and socializing becomes taboo. Basically a Future Center is about making the business and people in the municipality come closer in different settings.
It was a hard struggle through bureaucratics, conservatism and people judgments, but for Simoon Fransen, who was the entrepreneur of this project, fought for 3 years and have now succeed.
And therefore she called in the KaosPilots to help her bring this message forward (If you want to learn more about the Future Centers then please visit: www.open-futures.net. And if you would like to know more about the KaosPilot process to bring the message forward then visit: http://kpnlteam2.wordpress.com ).
The Future Centers around the world are about sparking innovation and creativity into every day workplaces and this is about finding unity between people and business. And they are now focussing on attending the Copenhagen Climate Conference to bring the message forward.
As a Dane I am often asked how I can help people here in Holland to be part of the massive event in Copenhagen this December. I try as best as I can to look for options but I have not yet found out where and how people, organisations and companies can participate, meet and share ideas.
I have even submitted a proposal to Copenhagen municipal to make a Peoples Climate Conference and they were exited but still haven’t given any word.
It feels strange that all these people I meet have ambitions to make a difference and would like to bring it forward in Copenhagen but nobody knows how. I hope that they will be able to and share some of the amazing projects, ideas and products that I over the past year have seen can change the environment for the better. Not just the climate but also the working environment.
