I am amused

Junyi told me Austrian men are the most 好色 in the world。Well, I was like okay yah I already knew Austrian guys are sleezy. And today I found a prime example of it. 

Presenting, 4th level iTunes library sharer Danijel.  

 

I thought main viewers are usually wheezing old men who are erm not happy with their mediocare lives. Looks like stressed Austrians student(s?) do the same!

 

 My roommate is really trying really hard to get me to sleep early. TOO BAD. My lab report is due already. She is really desperate, drumming her fingers on the cupboard, opening the window in hope that the cold will drive me to sleep. She is an evil pig. Really. 

ROARRRR

Okay I know the Austrians used to rule half of Europe and lots of parts of Latin America. The so called Empire where the sun never sets. Just like how UK used to be. But the UK adapted to global changes and set the trend for the rest of the world. Austrians are like, basking in their old glory, believing their age old ways are the ones that work. Anyway, the reason for this rant is because of my lab report. Well, I don’t have to write as much per experiment as in Singapore, but then there is 8 experiments. And the reason I am only doing this so late (the report was due last Monday) is because my lab partners refused to send me some simple experimental results. And it is not like its really good results that he sent me in the end. For example, when we want to denote 20ml, we would write 0.02l right? And Austrians write 0,02l. Which is something I do not understand! Because everywhere in the mathematical world, they use a full-stop, a punkt! Not a comma. And it was highly irritating, because obviously, excel spreadsheets see commas as non-values. Which meant that I had to painstakingly change every comma into full-stops. I have no problems with Austrians but please, adapt! The world is spinning merrily around, everyone speaks english, uses full-stops and touch type. Your lovely Hapsburg empire was quite a while ago, and it is no longer viable for you to stick too much to old ancient scientific notation.  Okay. That was my rant. Austria is lovely and I do like their traditional ways so steadfast and unchanging through the times. But sometimes it just gets to me. Like how grocery stores aren’t open because of age old Catholic tradition. And how my roommate sleeps really early, almost as if she is living in the Middle Ages and farms the land and has to go to bed after sundown. Lets just say I am really a city person wanting to live my city life in a quaint village. No wonder American mansions, with Wi-Fi and big screen TV and all the technological advances are so popular. Its like a quiet holiday home but with modern conveniences. I want one too. 

Waistcoats

People here wear waistcoats. Something I find immensely cute. And I am not talking about old traditional men with long greying beards wearing waistcoats. These are people who are still in Uni, still studying. Basically, if any of my friends back home wore a waistcoat, I would go HAHA what the heck are you wearing? but nope here is perfectly normal to wear a waistcoat. And its cute in a way. Coz waistcoats, to me, are really traditional. After all, it stemmed from like at least the Victorian age or something? And I do know that a modified version of it is part of the quintessential Tirolen Tracht. And its adorable, coz people nowadays pair it up with a short sleeve shirt! Seems odd, but they pull it off. And I think i believe, that is something amazing, coz waistcoats are some of those things that really have to fit you just right. Too loose and you look sloppy. Too tight and they know you are an alcoholic. 

Anyway, went for Glühwein yesterday. =) White Glühwein. Quite delicious I think. Way better than Heineken. I think if they served chilled Glühwein, all beers would go out of business. And I love the Christkindlmarkt. It is pretty, with little stores. Sort of like Pasar Malam at home, just more rustic. No tacky stripped plastic tarp and rickety tables made up of planks on top of metal frames. These are wooden made stuff. Build together within 2 weeks before the festivities start. There is traditional Speck on sale, together with traditional Tirolean food, like Krapfen, Brezen etc. And of course Glühwein and Frucht Punsch. And there is a tiny theater for children to watch Christmas shows. And delicate cute glass ornaments for decorating your house. This includes Nativity sets, glass globes (hand painted I think, was so tempted to get one and make it a Christmas heirloom). Wreaths made up of spices like star anise, cinnamon and cloves. They will make your house smell fantastic if you hang them up. Paper thin wood cuts of famous Christmas depictions. And of course there’s the touristy stuff. The shop selling CDs, ranging from random classical to Christmas. The incense shops with more Buddhist/Asian origins. Hats which look cool (beanies topped off with monster ears or rainbow dreadlocks) but totally not traditional. Exotic African wood carvings (think giraffe statue), Buddhist hippies smelling strongly of incense and passing out meditation class brochures. The smaller the world, the more mishmash cultures become. Its strange, yet comforting. To see this blending of cultures. To know that well, even if you think you are alone, there is probably someone, be it your neighbour, or far away at the other side of the globe, that shares the same beliefs and traditions as you. And yet, its strange and sad to see traditional culture being eroded away, by the modern technology that brings everyone together. 

On the other hand. I saw another traditional brass band again today. They were playing at a church near my place. All green jackets with hats decked with flowers. That would be the equivalent of people in SG wearing a cheongsam playing a zither or traditional chinese flute in the temple. Which really, who does nowadays? 

2 down, 2 more to go

I decided to take the rest of Friday off, just to look around, chill, and forget I still have a 8 experiment report due on Monday. I am glad the presentation went fine, although up to now, I only have a vague idea of how plastid division goes on, and basically, I don’t even know/remember half of the proteins listed there! I am sort of amazed at how this education system works. Coz, seriously, I go for a class, which has 2 lessons. Shhhhh but don’t tell the evil Uni back home. That will totally be not accepted back at home. Credits for turning up for 2 lessons! I love it. I don’t think I learnt much though. Coz everyone else did it in German. Something I am still blindingly finding my way around.  But alles gut! At least that is another presentation down. All I need to do is my Austrian history presentation and my molecular techniques presentation to do. And of course that 8 experiment report. 

I realised food, is such a big part of my life now! Every other day, I am on food groups, putting in my ingredients and searching suitable things to cook with my limited stores. I have literally bought ALL the available seasoning/herbs in all the supermarkets. And its fun! Tossing random herbs into random things. Today was orange marinated roast chicken. I regret not taking a picture. It was SO good. Well, to me it was at least. The chicken was Oh So Tender! and with a bit of browning, and the orange bits/juices just sealed in all the moisture… Yummyfulness goodness. And it wasn’t like a really strong overwhelming taste too. It was mild but flavourful. I cannot describe it. But yah, it will be some time before I attempt something like that again. Protein for me now, is cheese and sausages. And hopefully I will be able to resist the lure of the flavour meat gives to food and I will try to cut out the sausage too. Or else I might be preserved in nitrates by the time I get back to SG. And of course there will be my lovely frozen fish sitting in the freezer that needs a nice sauteeing, with a herb marinade and white wine. I feel like Remy in Ratatouille.

Which reminds me, I SHOULD try making ratatouille one day.  

Free Friday

Sometimes we just need to sit down.
Watch the clouds float by.
Feel the breeze.
Listen to the leaves rustle past.
And think of how good everything is.  

What If?

What if. 
What if I didn’t learn German.
What if I didn’t study Biology.
What if I never thought of going for exchange. 
What if I went to Heidelberg.
What if I chose somewhere else in Germany.
What if I didn’t consider Austria. 
What if I thought one semester was enough. 
What if.  

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?   

Lethal Leaves

When it is not cold, the wind howls. Which makes it once again cold, coz there’s obviously the wind chill factor. And sitting at my desk, preparing my immensely boring presentation, I noticed the leaves were SO loud. They hit against the window panes and create a heck of a lot of noise. Its not disturbing. But just think, if they could make so much noise, I can deduce that they contain quite a lot of energy right? So what happens when one hits you? Do you get scalpelled?Its called a leaf blade for a reason.   

12.18am. Undone presentation. Impending headache. Sore bum. Immobilized ankle. Hibernating brain. What the heck is going on.  

Oh simple thing where have you gone

I’m getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you’re gonna let me in

I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

 

I have a lot of things on my wall. It is a slight comfort. 

 

Maybe in five or ten yours and mine will meet again

Straighten this whole thing out

Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy

This is the distance

And this is my game face

There’s really no way to reach me

‘Cause I’m already gone

 

Turn around. Don’t look back.

  

Some of us laugh.

Some of us cry.

Some of us smoke.

Some of us lie.

But it’s all just the way,

that we cope with our lives.

Breaking down

My body is getting old and run down. I need a new hip, new ankles, well, in general, just give me a full body swap. Maybe even additional neurons, smarter ones. The reason why I have not been blogging these couple days, coz I have just been jammed pack with work. I think its work work work all the way till december. Which is a serious pain. And on top of that, Monday, I sprained my ankle during trampoline lessons. How silly of me right? Bah. I guess trampolining is not my kind of thing. I am gonna just focus on Ultimate from now onwards. But anyway, it hurt like crazy and achy on Monday, but thanks to super duper nice Ultimate people, I think I am on my way to recovery. It already feels a lot better and it has only been 2 days since my accident. I just hope to get back to running and jumping as I usually do. 

My bones ache, my skin feels cold

And I’m getting so tired and so old

 

The anger swells in my guts

And I won’t feel these slices and cuts

Sleeping pig

My roommate is currently snoring away having her 9 hours of beauty sleep. I am so glad I met some late sleepers so I can crash their room and go and study. My roommate is really really intolerable. There’s a lot that I can say, but for tolerance sake, I shall not say anything. I shall be peaceful harmless person. And I shall not stoop down to her level. I just want to say, I never ever wanna to end up like her. Not ever.