Allow me to introduce myself... My name is Shakir Ernesto Marcello Verheij, I'm partly Dutch, partly Italian and I was born and raised in The Netherlands. I was born on january 20th 1968 and --for whomever is interested-- My Sunsign is 01,1 Aquarius, my moon is in Aquarius too and my Ascendant is in Libra. I have green eyes, black hair and I'm about 1m 74cm tall and weigh about 75 kg.
Well as you can see I can look very diferent at times. For one thing, my hair is so curley, when I let it grow wild it becomes a real mess... So normally I wear my hair short in summer, and then from autumn I just let it grow till the next spring. I also change colour twice a year: in winter I'm whitish, even a little pale and then in summer I turn really dark...courtesy of my Italian dad :)
I completed my education at the Rotterdam Evening-School Society (RAS) in 1991. In 1994 I started out studying Artshistory and Archeology at the university of Leiden. However, due to unfavorable circomstances I had to terminate my studies again in 1995. From 1991 to 1996 I worked as an administrative employee and secretary. My first job was with the District Attorny's office in Rotterdam. Afterwards I worked for a year and a half as a departemental secretary with the Ministery of Economic Afairs, more specificly: the Economic Control Agency (ECD). I then became secretary to the director of an international freight transport company, which however has since gone out of
business. (not my doing :) After that I worked as a medical secretary for an insurance company, but I was getting rather bored with the work and in 1996 I decided to change to working in IT and I became a helpdesk agent with
The international helpdesk of IBM, working trough CTG, the Computer Task Group. Since then I have been working mainly as a helpdesk agent. In June 1999 I joined the company Delft Computer support (DCS)and through them I was first assigned to a project with the European Space Agency (ESA), for whom I worked, again as a helpdesk agent, at their ESTEC base, here in Holland.
In August 2000 I was assigned to another
project, this time with an investment Banker called The Robeco Group. Unfortunately I got into a conflict of opinion with my boss
at DCS and I was fired. For some months after that I have been 'licking my wounds' and I had a hard time figuring out if and if so, why, I would -again- submit myself to the tiresome demands of 'economic slavery' as I would put it in irreverence and not accounting the fact that I actually do like working (for money). I have then
-having no alternative- thrown myself again into the path of 'danger'. In 2001 I followed a business course which would have me become a network-administrator with certificates from both Microsoft Windows XP
and Windows 2000 Server, Cisco CCNA, and ITIL-foundation. In
accordance with this particular project I've since been employed with the company Clarity-IT Solutions
and was first assigned to the Technical University of Delft, Holland, as a technical author. I was to (help) write a manual for a web-based database which is used by
Universities all over Holland (only two exceptions) to list their
organisation, teaching staff and researchers, as well as to publish their
research data and publications online. Pretty cool stuff!
After that I was offered a job, again as a helpdesk-agent, with Trust, a.k.a. Aashima Technologies, but I fianally quit that job because I really could not adapt myself to the company's attitude towards the entire concept of the helpdesk. You see... Some firms tend to view any and all helpdesk activity as a bussiness loss, and therefore they are reluctant, if not plainly unwilling to invest in the helpdesk, and they also tend to dismiss the customer's problems, as in this case, with the moto: "You've bought it, so it's now your problem."
To me such an attitude is in total contradiction with everything I have learned and have begun to appreciate about working as a helpdesk-agent, namely: attempting to try to solve the problem myself, or if necessary, helping to get the problem solved by others, in stead of just making it go away.
Ever since I was a little boy I have been fascinated by other cultures, languages and history. When I was about six years old I started to speak English with my mother, because we both liked the language so much and we really enjoyed speaking it together. As a result I never had to really study for any of the exams I took in school and I allways was the very best of my class... that is, as far as English was concerned. Today, English is to me like a second mother tongue. Of course I'll allways remain a 'foreigner' though :). This disposition of mine also caused me to want to learn Latin and Greek badly. And so, at the time that I discovered I could acually learn, I decided to go and try for the Gymnasium. This period of four years is still one that I remember with fondness. Four years to actually do as I pleased, all to myself and my studies. (Sigh) The joy of it!
After that Of course the next best thing has been University, although I had but a short stay there I enjoyed it very, very much. I was really saddened when I had to give it up, but I am strongly convinced that one day I'm going to be back there (!!!) I just hadn't expected that becoming an Artshistorian involved so much study of materials and techniques. To me, as a natural a-technical person that was a real turn-off at first. because I am far more interested in Iconography and what someone has brilliantly called 'Archeology of the mind' Strangely enough I now find that the really technical part has become far less unappealing, as I have found my way into computer-technology and have had so much experience with taking machines apart and putting them back together again. On the other hand university also stimulated me to further persue my other intellectual interests.
I have a myriad of things that I like, so I will just mention my favorits: I like learning Languages, Ancient History, Philosophy and Religious History. I also take great interest in both Cultural and Natural Sciences, with the possible exception of Economy. I am, however, greately interested in Astronomy, Geology, Geography, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as in Psychology, (Cultural-) Anthropology and Sociology, I am also very interested in Politics, I have in fact been politically active in several pressure groups while I was still very young (10 - 14) When I was for instance an active member of the Nicaragua Commity, in support of the Sandinist revolutionaries and when I singlehandedly organised a petition against Fascist and Racist propaganda being spread across our city by the then fairly new Rightwing Extremist parties that had emerged in our scoiety as a result of economical recession.. Lately I became active again, this time in the local party leadership of the Rotterdam division of the Dutch Labour Party, PvdA.
I am
also in the proces of writing a book on the Tarot, being very much intrigued by
Esoteric Philosophy and Mysticism, and this is one project which has expanded over the past six years and is still one of my main activities.
I also study Astrology, I-Ching, Runes and various other systems of
divination. Next to that I practice Hatha-Yoga and Chakra Meditation and A Chinese
Martial Art called Shaolin Kempo and I like training with traditional Budo
weaponry, like Bo, Nunchaku and Sai. I also like Fitness. I visit the gym twice a week to have a good work-out. I like Walking, Cycling, Sailing,
Canooing, Swimming and Snorkling and I would love to Scuba-dive, but I
suffer from vertigo. I also enjoy playing Chess, Darts, Snooker, Pool and
an obscure Dutch Cardgame called "Klaverjassen". Also I like to
play Real Time Strategy Computer Games. I do furthermore very, very,
very much enjoy Sunbading, Reading and listening to good Music, the latter
ranging from Classical -----Piano is my Absolute Favorite Instrument to
listen to, Beethoven, Mozart, Albinoni and Vivaldi are my Favorite
Composers, My Favorite Opera's are Mozart's and Da Ponte's 'Die
Zauberflöte' and 'Don Giovanni' and Bizet's 'Carmen'.-----to Hardcore
Punk and some Heavy Metal. ^ _ ^ However,
absolutely No House or Rap (well, hardly any). My Absolute All Time Favorite Bands are The
Beatles, Bob Marley and The Wailers and U2. My Absolute All Time Favorite
Vocalists are Mariah Carey, Nina Hagen, Kate Bush, Aretha Franklin, Billy
Holliday and especially Maria Callas. I like dancing, pref. Salsa or
Merengue, but mostly an entirely personal style with influences from
everything ranging from Rock 'n Roll to Pogo. I like Percussion--I play
Conga's and the entire Rhytm Section, though not 'Drums' ---and Singing,
although I'm no good at it. In this respect I prefer Medieval Latin Choirs
--Madregales rather than Gregorian-- Medieval Folk, and what is
called "World Music" i.e. Irish and/or Scottish
Traditionals, Shanty, Spanish Flamenco, Italian, Turkish, Israeli and
Punjabi Folk, Greek Rebettika or Poliphonika, Pakistani Kawahli,
African and especially South African Choiresong, South American and
Mexican Bolero and North American Cajun and generally songs from
Simon and Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, Bob Dylan and what have you. I like Practicing Calligraphy
and Illumination. I like Drawing, I love Writing both Prose and Poetry. And,
from August 1999, I've begun developing this
website and begining to like it very much.
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