Frozen

I can't believe our 5-night stay in Mainz [sounds like Mines and not too far from Frankfurt] has come and gone. And although we didn't do all that much due to the crappy weather, i think we made the most of it. Most importantly J and i got to visit my sister and her boyfriend in Wiesbaden [sounds like Vees-bah-den]. And of course we met my baby niece, whom at the time was only 10 days old and is as cute as a button.

I even got to change her diaper - my very first one! An achievement i can be proud of since it didn't fall off right after and something that i can say i did before i turned 30.

So anyway on our way home, we decided to see some friends and whilst waiting to see them do some grocery shopping. And if you don't include our extended pit stop in Düsseldorf, which is roughly the half way mark, i reckon it would have taken us about 4+ hours to get to where we live.

We had heard earlier on the news that there was so much snow that they even had to temporarily close a couple of the highways because it was so icy and there were so many accidents. Traffic was horrendous, trains were delayed and airports where temporarily shut down. But lucky for us by the time we left the snow had cleared off the highway and there was barely any traffic.

By the time we got home it was just before 2 in the morning.

The temperature outside was somewhere just below 0 degrees Celsius. Mild in comparison to Sunday's temperature, when a cold front swept across Germany dumping snow and forcing the temperature down to a ridiculous -15˙C [the coldest i've been in so far]. One particular area in Germany measured -33˙Celsius, yes MINUS THIRTY-THREE!

Damn climate change, it's absolutely insane!

I think in the last week about 15 cm of snow has fallen here, more in other regions. The weatherman says there's only a 50% chance there'll be more snow in this area. But as J likes to remind me, it's only a prediction.


They predicted snow only on Sunday but nobody imagined there would be as much snow as there was on Friday - 2 days earlier. Cars with Summer wheels had barely any grip and were sliding all over the place. Cyclists battled with icy pathways and dancing snow flakes.

But they also said the temperature would rise this week and by Christmas there wouldn't be any snow left.

I don't think so.

Christmas is in nearly 12 hours and looking at our landlord's garden below us and our balcony, it doesn't look like the snow is going anywhere.


Even the side streets beside the house are still iced over. It's moments like these that i'm grateful that i don't have a dog to walk. Seriously, it's super nippy outside!


So anyway, even though we had all the doors and shutters closed whilst we were gone, the frosty air had managed to find itself into our apartment. I, of course left on Friday and switched off all the heaters, in order to conserve energy. Which maybe wasn't such a good idea because it takes forever for the heaters to warm up and for the place to heat up.

We've cranked up the heaters onto full blast but it's like watching paint dry, it's so bloody slow. In the mean time, J and i are practically suffering from hyperthermia here.

The hot bath which made me turn slightly pink was good while it lasted but i'm still cold wearing a t-shirt + 3 hoodies [2 of which are made out of fleece] + a thick fleece scarf.

So before i lose complete feeling in my feet, i'm going to make some hot tea and hover in front of the preheated oven, just so my skin can thaw out just a little. I'll be back with some photos from our short getaway once i've defrosted...

Merry Christmas!

Change of Plan: Family reunion prosponed.

J's been away since Monday to do Part 2 of the training workshop for his work. And it so happens that today is my last day of German class before i have to go on a 5-week holiday. I was surprised how long the Christmas break is but then again i'm not going to complain. Then the course continues at the end of January and runs into February.

Originally this Christmas was going to be somewhat of a reunion. Planned months before. My parents were going to fly up to Germany. In fact they were due to fly out this Saturday. My sister was going to deliver her baby on the 18th December and J would have his training workshop and i would take the train to where the service apartment we booked and spend 10 days there.

But then things changed.

My parents are not flying to Germany but rather coming some other time. Maybe during Summer they said. My sister delivered her baby last Saturday by C-section and is slowly recovering. The baby is not even a week old and my sister and her boyfriend are slowly adjusting to being "parents". Whether or not they're just overwhelmed by the new addition, i don't know.

She's been very private about the whole pregnancy - i haven't even seen one photo of her in the last 9 months. So to be on the safe side, i'd rather not upload any photos of my niece just yet, well not until she puts up photos on her facebook and she gives me the OK. I mean, yesterday on the phone she said, the most stressful thing is not the baby, but rather the family members. I guess the excitement of a newborn is exciting for everyone and well, from how i see it she doesn't share our enthusiasm.

But i think my sister would rather be left alone and not have any visitors. So all we can do is respect that.

So then i called J yesterday to tell him the news and after some discussion we decided to still go on our holiday but cut the holiday to just a few days. It's not like we've gone on a proper holiday in ages. Maybe we can do a bit of sight seeing and perhaps visit a few museums. Maybe do some wine tasting and visit some Christmas markets.

So instead of the "family" being the focus this Christmas, J said maybe we'll just make this "our romantic getaway".

I'll be back before Christmas but if i'm not here to regurgitate my thoughts before then, i'd like to take this chance to wish all my silent readers and friends a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have something wonderful planned this year.

Winter is just around the corner.

Since last week the temperature has dropped dramatically. Cold doesn't even come close to what it feels like. It's the kind of icy cold that eats its way into your marrow if you stay out too long without gloves.

I've been waiting for snow the last few days but there hasn't been any in our area. Last year brought quite a lot of snow in Düsseldorf and when i asked J the other day, what we did last year, his response was "nothing". Basically we hybernated the whole time in our over-heated apartment and only when it was necessary to go outside we did.

Winter time there isn't really all that much to do unless of course you head to the mountains and you're into skiing and all that. According to the calendar "Winter" officially starts on Monday, 21 December.

But i checked the weather forecast for the next 5 days and it seems that Sunday will bring snow!

Somehow with snow the feeling of Christmas is more prominent. Which reminds me i still haven't completed my Christmas shopping. Every day our neighbors attaches some kind of new decoration or light to their house, a reminder that Christmas is drawing up closer.

And then there's our window, with our one very lonely hanging mobile. We're going for the "less is more" angle.

Friday's temperature doesn't look too good though. A high of -3 degrees and a low of -6! And if you were too measure how cold it "feels like" meaning with the wind factor [see in grey, gefühlt wie]. Crazy shit, it'll be a whopping -10!

OMG can anyone say, frozen nipples! Time to pack on more layers.

To mingle. I remember how to do that!

Last Friday two of my classmates held a small party at their home. They invited a few of us to their place for some food, drinks and a chance to mingle. Even our teacher came along, which i thought was really nice. There are all sorts of Nationalities in my class. If i'm not mistaken there's two from Tehran, Tunisia, Venezuela, Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iraq, France and Bosnia.

Not wanting to get lost, i decided to meet up with 2 of my other classmates so we could take the train to our friends place together. By bus it would take 15 minutes but by train it took only 3 minutes.


In the middle is Welga [pronounced Vel-ga], she's a nurse and with a bit of alcohol she's a slightly hyperactive. Great fun to be around. And then there is Sona on the right, i think she's a house wife. Both are from Russia and very caring.

We arrived at 3:30pm and my gawd it was cold. I'm guessing it was just before the weekends' temperature drop, it was about 3 degrees Celcius.


I'm not too sure whether my German was completely correct but somehow i managed. Most of the time we were laughing about something or about what someone had said earlier in class. Of course not laughing "at" them but more like "with" others. Some of them already knew one another when the course began 3 months back. So as the outsider coming in and "joining" them, i felt very welcomed.


The blond woman wearing all black is my teacher.

Although there was a bit of bitching and moaning about certain individuals, overall everyone seemed to have gotten along and bonded.

In fact, i actually had a really good time.

Of course the couple of glasses of strawberry flavored sparkling wine, Rosé wine and a Martini rosso to wash it all down helped in gathering my nerves. I admit a great way to fool myself into thinking my German was flawless.


Anaiz is from Venezuela and plays the "Quatro" - a guitar-like instrument which only has 4 strings. She's a funny gal. Loud and full of life. She has a thick accent that shows through when she tries to speak German.


And this is Layla and myself.

I think she was the first person who spoke to me when i came to class. Her and i are usually the first ones out of class to have a cigarette when we have a break. Even when it's 0 degrees and our hands are practically frozen, we'll be outside chit-chatting about something. She speaks a bit of English but 99% of the time we speak German together. The other 1% is in English because we don't know what that word is in German.

I've still got a long way more to learn...


J came and picked me up after he went for drinks with some of his colleagues. His chance to get to know a few of his colleagues and vice-versa. He's been having issues at work with his co-workers. Apparently nobody likes him and they've been talking all sorts of shit behind his back. He knows this because they tell him. Even his boss told him it's true! Isn't that crazy!?

People have been making up all sorts of rumors and claiming that he doesn't do any work. When clearly he's one of the first to arrive at 7am and is usually one of the last to leave the office. Why? Because he's helping some other person do their work. And if other departments needed help at an event, he was more than happy to help out and stay back late. In fact, i haven't even spent that much time with him because he's been working so much.

It doesn't help that he's quite young for the position he's in and he looks young. It seems like people don't like to take instructions/directions from someone who looks like they've just finished high school. By the way J turns 30 in 3 weeks.

I can only hope the new year brings better luck for him and life at work gets better. Otherwise who knows, we may just end up moving somewhere else.

Anyway, we stuck around Layla's and Bardia's place a little longer before we drove back to the Irish pub. J had promised he'd come back to the pub since they said they might need help serving the 3-course dinner. But by the time we got there, dessert had been served.


So instead we stuck around for a few more beers and chatted [in English] with one of the Chefs that works with J. An American ex-Marine. Friendly guy who plays rugby and speaks direct. The kind of person who i can assume will say it how it is and not sugar coat things.

As they say, The key to good mingling and meeting new people is to show interest in them. Smile, be enthusiastic and maintain a positive attitude. No one wants to be around a negative person that complains about others or life in general... [source]

Back In Time.

Last Friday i took a train to Hannover since J left in the early morning with his boss for a meeting in Hamburg. I, of course had to go to German class earlier on that day, so we decided to meet up at the train station at 8pm.

There was a small Christmas market just outside but we didn't end up hanging around cause it was already getting late. But we did see quite a number of police officers checking the IDs of those loitering Neo-Nazi skin heads and random punks. And as much as i wanted to capture the moment, i didn't think it was appropriate seeing that they didn't look too friendly.

We eventually drove to the parents house in Walsrode to say hi to J's dad who is in Germany for a holiday and whom i haven't seen in 2 years. We stayed at the grandmother's place though because she has a spare room and to be honest, it's much more orderly.


And this is probably my favorite photo i have of J and i with his sweet little Oma [Grandmother in German]. She only speaks German so my conversations with her are somewhat limited. Every time we stay at her place, she makes sure the table is set for breakfast and has a couple of bread rolls heated. She's 86 and believe it or not, she still drives.

The next day Oma dropped us off at the parents house, where we spent the day clearing out the garage and side room. Well i didn't clear them out, J and his eldest brother did. The garage had transformed itself into a store room/dumping ground and became impossible to squeeze through. Even the parents house is full to the brim with all sorts of odds and ends. A result of many years of collecting random things that were soon forgotten.

So J's dad rented a 2 tonne container, where you can pretty much throw away whatever household items you don't want. Electronic goods, however has to be separated and was handled by some other company.


I didn't go into the garage because there were all sorts of spiders and mice in there. But i did see the mother of all mice run out of the garage. I reckon it was the size of a cat.

Seriously, it was huge!


So while the men were doing some serious Spring cleaning, i kept myself busy by throwing whatever was in my way and clearing the dead leaves and pine cones off the ground. 6 hours later the garage and side room were practically empty and the whole driveway and entrance was just about free of leaves. As we stood beside the 2 tonne container we were amazed at how much crap was in there, it was already 3/4 full.

...

Once we were done with everything hunger hit and so J, J's little brother and i ventured out to find food. It was already 10pm and most kitchens are closed at that time. Pizza was an option but we thought we'd look for an alternative. We happened to stumble upon a unique restaurant called Zauberkessels.


A strictly vegetarian restaurant where the interior and atmosphere was meant to resemble the 1800s. It was made to look like you were in some kind of basement or dungeon. Waiters and waitresses wore the appropriate outfits and they even had some random dog strolling the halls. One woman even sang in old German and whilst the others played the harp and bagpipes.

A truly great experience and entertaining evening. A place i wouldn't mind returning to.


It was so surreal.


The brothers trying to decide what to eat in front of a hand-painted mural.


The beer came from barrels, i could only assume was similar to what it was like back in the days.


Although i'm sure back then, the prices were not as high.


We started off with what they called a Julefest Gerstensaft which contained 9% alcohol and had a very bitter aftertaste. Probably not something i'd order again though, it tasted kinda funky but i did finish it.


I can't remember what i ordered but the burger-patty looking things on my plate had a soft consistency. I think it was made out of grains and some kind of vegetable. J ordered this pretend Schnitzel but obviously not made of meat - and that actually tasted really good. His brother ordered some kind of vegetable goulash with rice.


We ended up sharing a long table with a German couple and who ended up being very chatty. I think by the end of it the woman was a little tipsy because she couldn't stop talking. It was their one night out without their 3 kids so i think they were taking full advantage of their chance to socialize even if it meant it was with complete strangers. By the time we were ready to leave and the staff were blowing out the last of the candles, she was scribbling down her e-mail address. I think she just wanted copies of the photos, so i could send them to her.

Some say after a few alcoholic drinks, ones confidence level rises and some will even swear that they can speak German better.

WRONG!

I, unfortunately do not fall into that category. Maybe i'm just being paranoid but i could swear i heard me speak and knew the second i said something it sounded off. Sentences that i ordinarily could say when i'm sober, somehow refused to roll off my tongue.

Don't you hate it when that happens!?

But i did understand parts of what was being discussed and was able to laugh at most of the appropriate times.

Even now my brain is working extra hard trying to type this out. My English is seriously getting worse. So please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes.


So anyway J and i went to go have a smoke at the back since restaurants in Germany are non-smoking. And noticed even the exterior was done up. I can only imagine during Summer this place will be packed.


It was freezing that night, so don't be fooled by my lack of layers. I forgot my jacket inside but i think my alcohol kept me from having instant hyperthermia.

...

They also had a gift store where they sold a range of gorgeous Medieval, Gothic Fantasy and Fairy figurines. There were spells, Wiccan books and crystals all at very reasonable prices.

J couldn't resist and ended up buying one of the Veronese collectible pieces. And it also functions as a candle stick holder.


It is the 708th out of 3,544 made, apparently and if i'm not mistaken it's sculptured out of poly-resin. The intricate details and colour makes the piece even more amazing up close.

Not quite there but on the right track.

So i made it through the second week of classes. And although i'm still rather rusty when it comes to speaking, i find that i can comprehend majority of what is being discussed. My conversations with classmates during the breaks and in class are usually in broken German but i guess that gets better over time. But sometimes when i get home and i'm speaking with J, i find myself sometimes having issues talking in English!

I spend half my day trying to get my sentences grammatically correct in one language and when i switch to English, it's throws me off balance. Or like when i know what something is in German, my mind needs time to fish out what the word is in English.

But you'll be happy to know, that i've started to include a few German phrases and words in the conversations i have with J. Well it's more like a combination of German and English words strung together to make sentences. Because sometimes using the German word is much faster than trying to figure out what it is in English.

Maybe i'm a little bit more confident, so it makes it a little easier.

The other morning i even had a brief conversation with one of the bus drivers. There's this one bus driver that charges me only the short trip fare when in really he should charge me the full-trip price because it's more than 'X' amount of stops to my destination. It's only 60 cents cheaper but when you're counting your pennies, every cent counts. Technically he shouldn't but i guess he's just a really nice guy.

So anyway, the questions were pretty basic; Where are you from? What do you do? Are you married? etc and i was happy to say i was able to answer him back... in German - hopefully grammatically correct.

He didn't look confused or thought i was speaking some other language, so that's a good sign.


As for the weather, it's absolutely freezing. Literally.

The other morning was so cold, i could barely feel my fingers. I think it was -2˙C. Our neighbors hedge looked like it was dusted with icing sugar. So i left the house more than happy to wear my feather-down puffy jacket. Not the most flattering cut since i look like a bloated marshmallow but it sure shields me from the icy wind. The weatherman hasn't mentioned anything about snow in this area but i'm guessing it'll come later.

Christmas + snow = a nice combination.

But in a few hours i'll be getting on a train to Hannover. It's only an hour away, so it's not that far. J had a meeting in Hamburg this morning, which is further north and takes 3 hours to drive, so we're meeting at the half way point. Then we're driving to his parents' house which is about 40 minutes away. J's dad, who so happens to work in Malaysia, is in Germany for a visit, so we figured we'd drop by and spend the weekend there.

Anyway, i better sort out what i need to bring since i have a habit of looking like a bag-lady with way too many things.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and i'll be back soon...

Where did November go?

Time keeps passing me by. Is it just me or has 2009 felt like one big blur? With every new month that begins i can't help but wonder what happened to the last. And here i go again wondering, what the hell happened to November?

Now my mornings until 1pm are occupied with German classes and when i get home i'm usually going through my list of household chores. Before i know it i'm already preparing dinner and simultaneously trying to do my homework just so i can at least spend some time with J before we head to bed which is around 10pm.

J's been really busy with work lately. So we haven't really spent so much time together. Whatever free time he does have he's either catching up on lost sleep or playing a few games on his computer. Which explains why my facebook wall has been recently flooded with an indecent amount of Zynga game applications.

I will admit, i crossed the border into LameVille the minute i added FishVille. But gawddamnit i can't resist checking up on them and hell yeah for not having to touch dead fish with my bare hands! Online games are so practical sometimes.


But the past weekend was a lazy one. One that kept us indoors and taking several naps at various times during the day. J prepared a yummy Sunday brunch which so happened to be the first weekend of Advent. Not that we're religious or anything, it was just coincidental. I do know there's three weekends to go till Christmas.

We also bought Little L an Advent Calendar. More specifically a Lego Advent Calendar. We wrapped it up and secured it with cling wrap and sent it in the post.


She's crazy over Lego, so i thought it would only make sense to get her something that she likes. Last year we got her a Lindt chocolate version and i remember every weekend that she came to visit she would always look forward to eating the 5 days she had missed from having not been at our place.

And of course, if you buy one child a present it's only fair that you buy the other child one too. So we got BabyA a little Playmobil boat that he can take with him next time he's in the tub.


Apparently BabyA is at the stage where he wants to run all over the shop. Which is crazy since it was only in June when we last saw them in Ireland and he had just learned to pull himself up.

Kids grow up so fast - as i'm sure every parent will agree.

Little L practically speaks English fluently. It still amazes me to think a year ago, her and i could barely communicate. With my limited German and her non-existent English vocabulary, our times together was ruled by watching cartoons and finger pointing.

So much has happened in the last 12 months, it's insane. One day i will sit down and recollect my thoughts.

...

But it is obvious that J misses Little L a lot.

And i can't help but feel sorry for J when he calls and Little L doesn't feel like talking. I guess she's too young to understand and fully comprehend the whole situation. But then again, she is only seven. Miraculously, it's all worked out for the better.

Proof that no family is "perfect" and everyone has their imperfections. One just has to make the most of what they've got and appreciate what they have.

Uh-oh i'm rambling. I can hear my bed calling...

Knee Duh Land Duh

:: Borrowed from macobra historic ::

Sometimes my pronunciation of certain German words just don't roll off my tongue as easy as i wish they would. But i guess that comes down to practice. One particular word that i keep messing up is the country that i'm from. The Netherlands. It's a bit embarrassing that i can't pronounce my own country of citizenship.

For non-German speakers i'll try my best to break it down to how i think it sounds like if you'd use the English language. For German speakers, well, don't laugh.

So here it goes, in English it's the Netherlands.

In German it's die Niederlande.

Now for god knows how long i've always pronounced it "Neh-duh-land" - without stretching the "a" in land and sounding nasal like an American [no offense to Americans] but more like i was trying to speak the Queen's English with an accent.

But my pronunciation was totally off. Maybe because that's how i think the Dutch say it: Nederland. Again, i could be wrong there too.

So yea, many thanks to dict.cc - my trusty online English-German dictionary for their fancy button which enables people to hear the pronunciation of words.

And i got it! My sure way of remembering...

Knee [like when i fell off my bike and i bruised my KNEE]
Duh [like, DUH you should know how to say this by now]
Land [like where did you LAND? *Spoken in a Queen's English accent*]
Duh [like DUH, see KNEE example]

Now stitch it together and it's Knee-duh-lan-duh.

So when anyone asks me where i'm from, i can say:

Auf deutsch:
Ich komme aus den Niederlande.

Sounds a bit like:
Ish com-muh ow-ss den Knee-duhlan-duh.

Back to school and bonding.

So i made it through my 2nd day back to German classes and i have to say i'm almost thankful that i took that 15-month break from the last course i took. Because now i actually understand most of what people are saying. Plus i think if i had no prior knowledge on the current topic we're doing right now, i'd be so lost and back to wanting to pull out my hair out of frustration.

The realization that i'm here to stay has sunk in and just being able to comprehend what anyone says prevents me from tuning out more than i used to.

All that TV watching and subtitle reading actually did me some good.

But i think i'm a little bit more focused. I've even gone as far as purchasing the extra work book from the previous level just so i can get my arse back into gear and understand it all. Yes, i know i'm a nerd.

As for the teaching method, it's somewhat different from the previous school i went to. VHS is subsidized by the government hence it's slightly cheaper and dare i say not as thorough. Many who attend the German courses are there because they need a certificate that says they know enough German to apply for citizenship, a visa or that their work place requires them to learn the language.

I, on the other hand have a European passport so i don't require a visa to live here. But i'm learning German because, well i have to. I know i can't always have my personal translator/speaker a.k.a J with me at all the times to do even the simplest errands.

Maybe i should look at it like it's my way of getting back my Independence.

...

So anyway, at the moment there are 20 of us in the class, which i think is too many.

Every time we have to read out our homework or to get through a simple exercise it takes up to 30 minutes till we're all done and can move on to the next question. But apparently the teacher's going to ask the secretary if the group can be split into 2 groups. So who knows, maybe i'll have another teacher.

Overall i'd say the people in my class are quite friendly. I'd even say majority could carry on a basic conversation but their main trouble, like what i have, is understanding the grammar.

I'm the only English speaking person in my class, so i'm pretty much whipping out whatever German vocabulary i know and stitching together what i think sounds like proper sentences. So far so good. Nobody's given me weird looks and said they didn't understand me.

More than half of the class knows one other since they had started the course together a few months back, most of the women are housewives so when they get their chance they huddle together and chit chat. But there's a few interesting characters, one in particular i foresee has excellent stalker qualities.

...

Oh but what i really wanted to say is that i made a new friend today!

She so happens to be Asian [the only one i've seen so far in the building] and who has longer hair than i have, hers is past her arse! The first thing she said to me when she saw me was, Are you Chinese? And then it went on to something like, Oh my gawd you speak English too!

I soon found out she's from China, speaks perfect English, just arrived in Guetersloh 2 months ago and recently got married to a German guy.

No, she's not a catalog bride and no, i didn't ask her.

But after class we ended up chatting for ages in the hallway like a bunch of school girls gossiping. Basically she met her husband when he was studying in some kind of exchange program in Peking last year and they fell in love. And basically a year later they got married and now she's 2 months pregnant. She's 26. However, as part of her visa requirement she needs to complete 600 hours of German lessons hence the reason why she's doing the beginner's course.

Oh and she's Vegetarian too. Whatta-kwinky-dink!

But isn't it funny how when you're not in your home country and you see some other person on the street that's of the same race or perhaps Nationality, you tend to attract one another. It's like that invisible shield gets lifted and you almost feel like there's that bond. It's that initial eye contact which sparks the curiosity and makes you wonder where the other person is from and whether they too speak your language.

Or maybe that's just me.

If You Don't Succeed, Try, Try again.

There's a little walkway down the road that takes us through some field. I'm not sure what they're growing there, i can only assume the plot belongs to the Gardening centre up the road or some farmer that has too much land. So J being the curious one wanted to go for a walk and see where the path led to.


We soon found out it connected to a cemetery - not somewhere i'd like to be at when it's pitch black. The combination of an overactive mind, glowing red candles and the rustling of the leaves makes me think all sorts of ridiculous scenarios.

I'll let you know, i'm not a fan of graveyards. I could even say i'm even petrified of them.

Anyway, the weather has been amazing the last few days and the passing warm front has forced the temperatures up to 17˙C. Sunshine and perfect blue skies are always appreciated. I don't remember last year to be this warm though. Isn't Winter supposed to be just around the corner? This time last year i was in Düsseldorf and there was that huge snow storm. I wonder if there'll be snow this year?

So on Friday i decided to take advantage of the weather and took my bumble bee bicycle out for a spin. I need all the practice i can get, especially if i have to ride to school one day. Although i wish i could take the bus daily, my bank balance tells me otherwise.

I decided to ride around my area in circles, hoping the longer i was on it, the more confident i'd feel. And everything was going well until i made the stupid mistake of trying to ride up the sidewalk from the road. Clearly there was enough space for me and an oncoming car but i don't know what possessed me to be all fancy and not choose the safer choice by riding on the very flat, dry road.

And let's just say, the stupid sidewalk snuck up on me. Sneaky lil' bastard!

As the car slowed down beside me, i looked up and the dude smiled. I'm not sure whether he was laughing at me or was simply smiling cause he thought my out-of-the-blue accident was entertaining. And in return i gave the guy a half-arsed smile and hoped that none of my neighbors saw me.

But here are my bruised knees to prove it... Aua!


As you can see i bruise really easily, so it's no surprise that they're turning a darker shade of purple by the hour.

Then when J came home i told him my story but he insisted we go back out and practice out in the street again. Yes when it was dark! It was still early but the sun sets around 5pm now, so you could imagine my hesitation.

Don't worry nothing happened. There was no drama.

I stayed clear of the gutters and made sure i walked across the pedestrian crossing with my bike. We figured we'd celebrate my achievement of stepping out of my comfort zone by going to the pub for a beer and pizza. Yes, i know "drinking & driving/riding" isn't wise but i made sure the beer settled before i jumped back on the bike. And all i have to say after that was it sure calmed my nerves.

But i do wonder, how long does it take until your arse and crotch gets used to the seat? Seriously. My knees aren't the only thing that's bruised.

G. If only it was that simple.

Yesterday i heard a whole lot of banging, as if someone was installing or fixing something to the roof. I could hear plaster trickle down in between the walls. I didn't think much of it since i knew the owner of the house is still doing renovations and insulating parts of the house. And as long as our walls were intact, i didn't make much of a fuss or had any reason to be worried.

After a few hours it was done and then our doorbell rang. I figured it was the owner wanting some help so i made my way downstairs to the front door.

But it wasn't the owner, it was some contractor. He rang the doorbell to tell me something. I say "something" because i don't actually know what he said. He was speaking in German and apart from, "i'm sorry to disturb you" and "i saw the window open...", everything else was pretty much a blur.

After replying with, "Ja", he quickly went on to explain some other detail.

Details that are beyond my German comprehension.

And at the time i was thinking, maybe now is a good time to tell him my German isn't so good and that i don't understand.

But i didn't.

I don't know why but i have a tendency to get temporary amnesia when faced with unfamiliar conversations or language confrontations.

So anyway, there he was standing at the front rambling on and on, hand gestures included about whatever he was installing/fixing up on the roof. I say the roof because that's where i thought the sound was coming from.

For all i know he could have said, "Oops i made a huge hole in the roof please don't kill me or tell the landlord" and i just said, "Ja" [yes] and "Alles klar" [It's all good].

A few hours later J came home and i told him the story of the mystery contractor and how i simply agreed to everything he had said even though i had no idea what he was saying. My main worry was that maybe there was something wrong and who knows, maybe there was a hole in the roof!

So i begged J to SMS our owner in German no less, and say that the contractor had come and that it would be best that he ring him back.

It's moments like those that i wish i lived in an English speaking country. I reckon daily life would be so much easier.

...

Note to self: Next time someone gives me instructions or rambles on in German and i don't understand, don't just nod my head and agree!

Important words to say/remember: "Entschuldigung. Sprechen Sie Englisch?" [Sorry. Do you speak English?]

And if all else fails, shrug/smile and say: "Ich verstehe nicht" [I don't understand] and hope he gets the picture.

A New kind of Schedule.

I had one of those restless nights. The kind of sleep where you're half conscious and every little squeak or movement jolts you awake. It didn't help that the temperature in the room kept fluctuating. I made sure my legs didn't dangle off the side of the bed, in fear that the boogieman would come out and saw off my feet for being careless. Yes, i am months away from turning 30.

Don't you just hate it when your mind plays tricks on you?

It's the crack of dawn and i've had my first cup of coffee. I'm taking advantage of this spurt of energy, because who knows, maybe in a few hours i may just end up passing out whilst doing the dishes. Maybe i should take advantage of the fact that i can lounge around in my PJs all day if i wish. Or sneak in a mid-morning nap, only to decide whether or not i should do the household chores then or later.

My days of being cooped up and playing the unofficial hauswife are now numbered.

Anyway, guess what came in the mail for me yesterday...


A DL-sized card confirming that i've registered for German classes and that it starts on Monday. For a moment there, i wished it was all a dream and i had dreamt up going to the VHS to do the placement test. Maybe even pretend i could speak the language fluently. Why was i not born with the gift of Learning Languages?

It's moments like those that i wish i could put my Life on pause for a little longer.

But staring right back at me in black and white was my printed-out schedule. There was no turning back. And my eyes immediately zoomed in onto when i start my Christmas break.

Wasn't it, like last week, that i sat down for that placement test? Or has it been a month already? Why is everything moving so fast? What happened to 2009?

And like a slap to the face, it hit me - my Life as i know it, is going to change as of Monday.

I detest 'first days' and having to deal with first impressions. I know, i know. I just have to suck in my gut and do it! Convince myself that i'm fabulous and that i won't fuck up.

Oh. my gawd. Why am i so nervous?

Five more days and counting...

Deutsch subtitles: ON.

Ever since we found out that most library's have a decent selection of DVDs for rent, we've made sure to take advantage of that fact. Although they're not the latest, there's always a few that are worth watching.

Image courtesy of Stadt Gütersloh.

What makes it more appealing is that renting them is free, well it's part of the annual fee but seeing that we didn't end up having to pay for the first year, renting them has made it even better. The interior of the library here is quite impressive. We usual take out anywhere between 6-10 at one go and one has a week to watch them.

So the past weekend was very much a lazy one - not including our midnight road trip.

We ordered pizzas and pretty much locked ourselves behind closed doors and had one of those movie marathons kind of weekends. We haven't had one of those in a while since J's been pretty busy at work and has had to work. So it was great to spend some quality time together and not worry that he/we had to be some other place.

Two movies that caught my attention were 2005 Derailed with Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.



The other was called Hooligans also released in 2005 starring Elijah Wood. I'm not a violent person and neither am i a football fan. In fact, i don't really have a liking towards Sports full stop. And the sight of blood and watching somebody's head being bashed in isn't something that i call entertaining, although i really liked Fight Club - i am an Edward Norton fan.

I read some mixed reviews after watching this movie but i have to say, i quite liked it.

Midnight Road Trip.

J called me yesterday afternoon to inform me he would be done with work around 7pm and thought it would be a good idea that we go out for drinks. I think his exact words were, "Tequila shots helps to cure a cold right? After all it is the weekend.

And for a change i decided to dress up a little. Hang on, let me elaborate... Not too long ago, J took me shopping - not because i asked but he thought it was necessary. For quite awhile now he's been hinting that i should really consider dressing up more like a "woman". Apparently i blend in very well with the local teens. Fashion conscious i am not. I practically live in baby-Ts and jeans.

I have to admit my daily outfit is anything but inspiring or creative.

Every time J and i pass a shoe store that sells FM boots or pumps, he tries to steer me towards the door in hope that i'll try on something. I honestly think he has a fetish for heels.

Yes i know you must be thinking i must be crazy that i didn't jump at the chance but i had my reasons.


Eventually i caved and like my own personal shopper J was more than happy to help me pick out ones that suited me. He ends up buying me two pairs of boots; FM boots minus the stiletto and casual brown ankle boots. And before i know it, i'm out the door with a new pair of boots on.


We get home and like a sign from the fashion gods, my beloved bootlegged jeans that i bought circa 2001 at Dangerfield in Melbourne died-ed! I still remember the painful ripping sound it made as i lifted my leg up on the over-sized step that our washing machine sits on.

It was a very sad moment for me.

So the next day J takes me out shopping... again.

Yes i know, you're probably thinking i should be thrilled. But the thought of speed-racing around town before shops close and trying on one too many pairs isn't my idea of fun. And the oh-so popular skinny jeans are a total no-go for me. I'm more than certain my proportions are a little off in that department. Skinny-anything tend to transform my legs into chicken drumsticks.

But just as the 2nd store is closing and i've tried on the dozenth pair, i hit gold!

Then J finds a knitted grey dress-like top and suggests i try it on so i can see what the jeans look like with something other than a baby-T. And it's only until we get home do i notice he's also purchased the grey top too. Isn't he lovely?

But i haven't found occasion or reason to wear the top. Personally, i didn't want the supermarket to be the first place i show it off.

Which brings me back to last night and this what i wore...


I paired it up with some black tights, a 3/4 sleeve black top and a black decorative hairband. I also managed to find my collection of accessories and found a suitable necklace i bought 2 plus years ago at a store i've already forgotten the name of but i do know it was in Bangsar, KL.


By the time J got back from work it was just past 9pm and i could feel myself getting sleepier by the minute. Proof that the daily 6am wake ups has made me less of a night owl. Again, please excuse my fringe for its unruly behavior.



But if it weren't for J's determination to make the most of our Friday, i'm sure i'd be passed out until morning.

Although i'm not sure at what point the plan changed from let's have a few drinks to let's go to a club and go dancing! At which time, i had found a blanket and buried myself under it, hoping that my actions were speaking louder than words.

I guess it wasn't that loud after all.

Looking for a decent club that played Tech-House or even Minimal proved to be more difficult than we expected. Those clubs we did find were unfortunately not in our area. And those we fancied were a bit too far away. At that point i started missing Saturday nights at Rheingold in Düsseldorf.

After much dilly-dallying it was already past midnight. So we jumped in the car and ended up driving the 1 hour and 15 minutes to Düsseldorf to see some friends.

...


And as spontaneous as our midnight road trip, on our way back home we decide to make a pit stop in Osnabrück [an hour and a half away] to check out Boris Dlugosch play.

Speaking of Osnabrück, did you know last month authorities found another random WWII bomb that hadn't exploded. Scary shit right!? They ended up having to evacuate 10,0000 people so they could defuse it: read the article here. And in January 2009 they detonated two and defused two others! Check out the article and the crazy hole it left here.


Anywaaaay, i've always been impressed by the massive bottle-for-a-key-chain found at petrol stations. Its ridiculous size is used as a means to prevent customers from running off with the key. I think at this point i was actually gagging because the smell in the Mens loo was beyond words.


I later notice we've parked beside a brick building with a fake stairwell painted on its exterior. How trippy!

Finally we get to the club at 6:15am and the bouncer tells us that he's not letting anybody else in. Apparently, the club was going to close at 7am. I guess we had no other choice but to buy a 6-pack and head home.

So we didn't end up dancing and neither did we get to check out a new club. In fact, we totally forgot about Tequila shots.


But i did find an example of a cheap alternative to branding ones' identity: stencil one's logo on a wooden fence with spray paint. By the way Strandwerk in English translates to Beach Factory hence the palm tree.