Gross with a capital G.

J and i managed to hunt down a second hand store in the neighboring city. And amongst the variety of furniture was one piece which i found interesting. Not because i wanted to buy it but i wondered. Who in their right mind would want to purchase a blemished, armless, left nipple-less mannequin?

Anyway that's not where this post is going...

So we were in search for a small fridge to replace the nasty, fly/fungus infested one that was in the apartment that we cleaned up last weekend.

It wasn't our apartment.

Here's some background: A certain somebody who shall be left unnamed had forgotten to inform the landlady that he moved out. In a disorganised fashion he also forgot to return the keys. So now, 6 months later, she's threatening to sue the father [who was the one who co-signed for the rent of the place] something like 4,000€ and has even hired lawyers! And all these months that have passed the rent has not been paid by the person who shall be not be named. Apparently she contacted the certain somebody but he conveniently forgot to reply back.

Why? We have no idea.

His forgetfulness and can't-be-fucked attitude means somebody's gotta pay. Literally.

Stupid dumb arse.


And since the apartment wasn't cleaned up properly and cleared out, we, the little faeries of good deeds and karma, took the initiative to do the dirty work. We brought with us all the cleaning stuff as it was obvious the place hadn't seen a mop and a sponge for awhile. Plus we figured the dad has helped us out so many times before, it was the least we could do to help with the situation.

There was no time to bitch and moan. Like Nike would say, Just Do It!


My job was to clean up the kitchen, throw away any food related items and scrub down the cupboards. I was all up there with my Karate Kid's "Wax On. Wax Off" movements. And while i was in the process of cleaning, i realised it must have been awhile since anyone even bothered to clean up on top. I found newspapers dated back to 2004 lining the top. And areas that weren't covered by the paper were covered in a thick oil substance.

Yea, it wasn't so pretty!


J's little brother helped paint the walls since they were pretty much stained yellow from old cigarette smoke. Not like we had much of a choice.

Aaaaand to top it all off, the certain somebody who shall be left unnamed couldn't even be fucked to even show up over the weekend to clean up his own filth and mess!

Disappointed. Yes. I am We are very disappointed and i think it's just damn right rude!

So yea, back to the nasty arse fridge. Let me paint a picture for you...

Imagine a fridge a little less than a metre in height. Now imagine it partially filled with various items like half used bottles, opened cans of whatnot, half a slab of butter, some kind of meat and other mysterious items. Now switch off the electricity for about 4 months and let the condensation inside collect.
.
.
.
Well let's just say the meat was no longer recognisable and those little specks of blackness which we thought was fungus were in fact flies that had found its' way INTO the fridge.

How? I have no idea.

The fridge was in such a bad shape and the smell was beyond disgusting, i had to stand in the other room while poor J had to clear it out. I cut out a garbage bag so J could put it over his head and to cover the top half of his body. Who knows what kind of spores and deadly toxins were brewing inside!


TOTALLY GROSS!

It took us about 10 hours to scrub, clean, paint and disinfect the whole place! And that's not including the 3 hours we spent the Wednesday before clearing out garbage bags full of crap.

And had we have had the same attitude as the person who shall be left unnamed and not give a shit, we reckon the cost of the clean up would be far more since the landlady would have had to hire professionals before leasing it out for rent again. So the dad would have had to bear all the costs on top of the lawyers bill - which has yet to arrive.

...

But lucky for us we managed to find a second hand fridge at a store for 60€ - which was a pretty good deal since a new one would have cost at least 300€.

Our original plan was to drive the 2 hour drive to Hannover to where the apartment is but J decided not to since next week we have to drive there anyway. We're getting someone to rip out the old carpet and replace it with tiles [as requested by the landlady who's willing to pay for half the cost].

So instead we're relaxing this weekend and spending quality time together. After all we just spent the last few weeks stressing over the move and setting up our own home.

And with the stress of J's new job, he definitely deserves a bit of a time-out.

Two sides to every Coin.

I was rudely awaken by my own coughing and was up before my alarm went off. I think it was about 5:52am [my time]. This waking up at the crack of dawn is still a pain in the arse but it's not as painful as before. So anyway, as i was getting our muesli sorted out and boiling water for our coffee, i looked out the window and saw a thick blanket of fog.

I always think fog looks so scary. Like it belongs in a horror film or something.


We're directly beside another house but from the side of our kitchen i get to perv into our neighbors neatly manicured garden. They have a little koi pond decorated with gnomes and a terracotta peeing boy statue.

So anyway, i remember a conversation i had with J's mother. She said, when you see fog in the morning it's usually a good indicator to tell you how the weather will be like. When the ground is wet and the air is warm, the water molecules evaporate and get trapped. They then hang in the air therefore fog is formed. So that means the temperature will be slightly warmer than usual today.

Well not that much warmer, it's still Autumn after all. But the weatherman says 13 degrees Celcius - so we'll see about that!

But i can pretty much say, i live out in the 'country'.

All i see from my window our 2 storey pointed-roof houses and peoples' gardens. But i have to say, the people are much more friendlier here. They actually greet you when you say hello. Some even bust out in conversation. I guess there's more of that "community" feel here, one that you don't really get when you're in the city.

Guetersloh is more like a big town than a city.

It apparently has 100,000 inhabitants and has a little bit of everything. However their Night Life isn't something to boast about. But then again, i've had my share of late night nights and sleepless weekends. So i don't feel like i'm missing out on anything.

All in all, the place has far more positives than negatives.

And we really don't have anything to complain about. Perhaps it's the experience of having moved so much in our younger years, that makes adapting to a new environment far more easier - i can only thank our parents for that.

You won't get super bright lights or sky scrapers here. And if you want to go shopping you better plan it before 7pm because that's when they close. The town has quite a number of cafés and restaurants. And surprisingly, a number of Asian themed food places - although i have yet to suss them out. The town isn't so small because they even have an Apple Store - which i'm hoping one day i will get to so i can upgrade my Mac.

So really, it ain't so bad after all.

And without sounding like i'm preaching, if one just opens ones eyes to a new beginning or a chapter and brings with him/her no hesitations or expectations, it makes the transition feel almost seamless/not so scary. Maybe it's not so much of letting go of one's Past but being open to new experiences.

Now i wonder, if you a pluck a person out of his/her familiar surroundings and throw him/her in a foreign environment, how many would sink and how many would swim? How many would flock to their own kind just so they could feel not so much like an alien. And how many would give up and fly home to the safety and security of their mommy and daddy?

I believe we all gotta step out of our comfort zones once and awhile in order to appreciate what we have. Live Life a little even if it's uncomfortable and we shed a few tears. Have no regrets and never forget the Past.

Oh and another thing i was thinking, in a world full of myspace, facebook and friendship networks, how many of your so-called "friends" would be there for you when Shit hits the fan and you desperately need help? Or let me rephrase that, how many of them would be there for you full stop.

Hmmm....



Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone.

Letters A-D, Words & Rearrange The Order.

If i had taken the 8:27am bus i would be an hour and half early for my appointment. And the next bus would come 2 hours later. So i decided to walk the distance and that took me a good 40 minutes - probably the only exercise i've done as of late. Unless you count scrubbing the walls and cleaning a certain somebody's apartment who shall be left unnamed, for 10 hours over the weekend and now i suffer a very sore arm and shoulder - but that's a whole different story.

Anyway, i make it to the Volkshochschule, otherwise known as VHS [Adult Education Centre] earlier than expected. Which gives me time to take a few breaths before i'm supposed to meet with the woman. So i get there and i introduce myself, remembering to structure my sentences correctly and not slur my words.

She begins by asking me a few questions about my background and what level my German is. Then scribbles on a form my answers. She then asks me which areas i want to concentrate on and so i tell her my grammar and basically everything. Then before i know it, she passes me a written test and ushers me to another room where i can do the test in private.

I'm told i have only 30 minutes and when i'm done to just come back to the office.

The first few questions i don't hesitate but as it gets closer to the end i'm having trouble.

THINK. CHRISTINA.... THINK!

Some i haven't got a clue and i wasn't going to waste my time trying to figure out. The pressure to beat the clock is at the back of my head. I'm hoping they're not too strict on the time because 15 minutes into the test i'm not even half way through. I can already feel the vein on the side of my head pulsate.

Stress. STRESS.


I'm 5 minutes over time.
.
.
.
I've had enough.

I end up not answering a few questions because i honestly had no idea.

So i knock on the door and hand over my test. I take a seat in front of her and she then busts out a transparent sheet with all the answers to the multiple-choice, words and letter ordering. At this point, i'm hoping i at least pass.

43 out of 65.

Not bad. It's a helluva lot better than i thought i'd get. I was aiming for NOT FAIL.

My results mean i can register for the Deutsch-Intensivsprachkurs IIIa class [which is a whole level higher than i thought i'd be in - my guess was i had to start at IIa, which is basically like at the beginning. Ia is for those not able to understand a single word].

So here it is, i start on the 23rd November and the course runs until March 2010. Mondays to Fridays, 9am - 1pm. And for 100 hours it costs 156 Euros.

I'll be going back to A2 and by March i will have reached B1. And will be able to do the test that certifies that i know enough basic German and can go onto B2 - which is the minimum one needs if he/she wants to get a job. And then it continues onto C1 and C2 - which is like super, crazy hard, i'm not going to even think about that!

...

So then i took the bus back since it started to rain and i wanted to check out the bus route anyway. When it got to my stop, the bus driver was super nice and asked if i wanted him to drive a little further. I told him the street name and he said that he ends up driving along that street anyway and that he'd just drop me off there. So that saved me a 2 minutes walk.

So there it was, TheSuperNice bus driver dropped me off at the front of my house. How cool is that? Seriously, this kind of thing would never happen in a big city. In fact, i've never had a bus bring me directly to my door step.

Break-Time is over.

In a little less than 2 hours i have an appointment to do a test to find out what level i should be doing for German.
.
.
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Yes, i am finally getting my arse back into class after a year's break.

I would definitely encourage beginners to start watching cooking shows in the language they want to learn and as i did, start switching on the German subtitles for English movies. And i can say my vocabulary has improved just this little bit... *Stretches her index finger and thumb apart*.

I like to think i understand far more than i can speak. And even though i still feel like a fish out of water most of the times, i just have to remind myself to just, calm the fuck down.

But i tried calling last week so i could do the test but the woman in charge was on her Autumn Break and would only return as of today. So according to the A4 folded sheet, it says one of the classes start. I'm hoping i'm not in that class because that might mean i could walk in half way through class.

Seriously, coming in late sucks.

Everyone's curious and looking at you with googly eyes. Friendships have already formed and you feel like you're being watched, especially if you're totally new and they're still trying to suss you out.

I stand corrected.... coming in late AND being the new kid... sucks.

I'm just hoping there are some decent people in my class. Perhaps, people that speak English.

So yea, wish me luck and hope i don't fail too miserably.

Learning Something New Everyday.

One of my ex-creative director's added this link to, where else but, facebook...

I love it for its' simple graphics and how with a touch of creativity, one is able to get ones' information across so effortlessly. So smarts.

And no. I didn't know that.

Sex Ed - Lapeno style!

Lapeno, Mervin and Fat Ed on Fur TV: Telling It Like It is


MTV's award winning Staying Alive Campaign.

An ex-colleague posted this link up on facebook. And i have to say it was far more entertaining than those 70's Sex Ed videos that they used to play back in school.

Can i just say my view of a Muppet has been changed... forever. I don't think Miss Piggy and Kermit knew what was coming.

Adapting to a New Life.

The first night in the apartment was freezing. The heating in the whole household is run by oil and can be set at a certain time to start. But it was set so at night it would stop heating - i guess Summer did just end. Which would mean by the time night fell, the heaters wouldn't function. Not fun when it's -2 degrees outside and the tiles inside the apartment are freezing. And that is why i love our bathroom for it has heated flooring. But we spoke to our the owner and he sorted out the heating situation. So it's all good, i'm not going to freeze to death.

Plus he was kind enough to let us use his wireless internet since it seems it's going to take awhile for Telekom to sort their shit out and get our internet and phone line working.

So yay for me. I have contact with the outside world!


I wanted to see how long it would take me to walk to the city centre. There's a bus but it comes every 2 hours which is a bit inconvenient but it's better than nothing. It only takes 5 minutes to get the centre by bus/car and by foot it's about 30 minutes - which explains why so many people own bicycles. They even have a designated red coloured path for bikes along the pavement. I'm not about to start driving anytime soon, so my only other option is to get a bicycle - definitely more cost effective in the long run.

Seriously.


It's a straight path that travels alongside a field of some sort and a small horse riding school/paddock. Then i think comes an elementary school and an old barn that's been converted into a gardening centre.

It was a rather peaceful walk through the residential area. And as i dragged my feet through the amber coloured leaves that lined the pavement, i realised it hasn't quite hit me that this is my new home.

What just happened to the past 2 months?

I can't believe the Move is over. Now that was hardcore! I foresee several bald patches appearing in the upcoming months no thanks to that super stressful chapter. The past 2 months definitely tested our sanity and the strength of our relationship. I'm just relieved to have all my stuff again and now i can just focus on unpacking. Plus it won't be long till i have to enroll for German classes and that's a whole different kind of stress.

So anyway, yesterday brought beautiful weather, even though there was a blue sky and full sunshine it was still rather nippy at 12 degrees Celcius. I'm guessing since we're more out in the open and no longer living in a densely compacted area, the air is much cooler and the buildings aren't used to shield the wind. In fact, we i don't think we have any tall buildings. Except for the City Hall [the previous post with the rainbow], i'd say most buildings are no higher than 4 stories. And comparing the temperatures to that of Duesseldorf, it's about 3 degress colder here.

Ewww. I'll be colder and pastier than i am right now.


So on Friday we decided to check the Irish pub. And i have to say we were well impressed. J had a cheese burger and i attacked his fries. We washed it down with some Guinness and Kilkenny. It was strange to hear the barman speak English, a true Irish man i'm thinking. Everyone seemed quite friendly. Even when customers came in, they actually acknowledged everyone and there seemed to be a positive vibe to the place.


Definitely a place we'd return to and have a couple of beers at.

I'm also convinced Guinness tastes so much better in cooler climates. I never really got into drinking Guinness back in Malaysia, maybe it has to do with the humidity levels. And that the higher the temperature, the quality gets slightly altered.

I dunno.

All i know is a pint costs 4 Euros and when it comes to beer in Germany, i'm definitely spoilt for choice. Oh and not forgetting the bread. I love it!

Seriously. I need to get my arse on a bike soon.

Yet Another Chapter Begins...

I managed to unpack the boxes in the kitchen last night. And as i carefully unwrapped each glass, plate and fragile item, it felt like Christmas but not quite.


And although the kitchen is bigger than our previous one, somehow it lacks storage space. But we managed to fit most of the things and having a cellar nearby makes it so much easier. J decided to move the fridge which made space for the dining table and bench we inherited from my sister.


The living room is nearly done, we're just waiting till we find an affordable sofa. So for now, our super comfy office chairs will have to do. We still have the other rooms to sort out but that will come in due time.

By the time we were done and were ready for bed, we were up again 2 hours later. I'm surprised J managed to wake up in time for work. Poor thing. But he had this brilliant idea that instead of waiting till Saturday to move out of the service apartment, he suggested we move tonight. In fact, in the next hour or two.

So yay! The move is finally coming to an end.

At least J will save on petrol and instead of the 25 minutes traveling time to get to work, it's replaced by only 8 minutes. Which means no more 5:30am wake up calls - it's now 6am. Yay for the extra 30 minutes of sleep!

And for me, no more coin operated laundry machines and having to carry everything for blocks. And no more metal pans that overheat and burn my food. No more freezing mornings because the insulation in the apartment is not that good.


And last but not least, our 5 weeks sleeping on 2 single super soft mattresses that aren't level with one another has come to an end. You have no idea how much i've missed my bed. Seriously. I think i hear my spine crying.

Nothing Stays The Same.

I used to be obsessed with the Time. I remember at one point, i had to have a watch/clock in every room in my apartment and was forever glancing over to check the Time. Not sure why and most of the time it never registered, that when someone asked for the Time a second after i looked at a clock, more than often i would have have to look again.

Sure i could just wear a watch - which i did, but that wasn't good enough. And not because i was late for my appointments, i just simply liked knowing what Time it was. Then i don't know what happened but eventually that obsession faded away and now i just rely on the clocks on my mobile/MacBook.

Maybe it was my adolescent years yearning for something to happen and waiting impatiently for the next second to arrive. And with every passing second it was just a bigger disappointment.

*Shrugs*

For awhile now i've been told i dilly-dally too much. So i set my clocks 10 minutes faster, that way i can get to places on time and not have to stress that i'm running late. And when J asks me for the time, it's usually followed by me asking, "Real Time or My Time?"

I went from a teenager who combined all her friendship bands, silver bracelets, bangles and fuck bands to one who wore dozens of plastic multi-coloured beaded bracelets [known to the Melbourne rave world as Kandy and often swapped them with other ravers]. To now, where only a simple black elastic hair band wraps around my wrist. I don't even know at what point i stopped wearing a watch.

But now my new obsession is checking the temperature. I'm forever bitching that it's either too cold, too hot, too whatever.

And as you can see, i've added a temperature widget to my page. It's mainly for my benefit, so i know what to wear before i step out the door. There were times i've gone outside thinking that the blue skies and sunshine could only mean it must be lovely t-shirt weather.

WRONG!

And October is supposed to be Autumn and probably the most beautiful time of the year with the changing of the leaves. So seeing the sun is an absolute treat because in all honesty, one never knows when the sun will come back. Hello Winter depression!


There's a house just down the road from the service apartment that's covered in vines. It's not abandoned, there are people living in it and it's the only one in the area. So i was telling J i've always liked creepers and vines on houses. And then J ruined my fantasy of living in a house covered in vines by reminding me they attract spiders, nests and all sorts of bugs.

And that was the end of my desire to have vines and creepers on my home. I Detest with a capital D, those 8-legged creatures. Just thinking about it, gives me goose bumps!

...

But it's getting really cold now. I can't remember whether last year was this cold. J now has to scrape frost off his car and last night it dipped down to -2 degrees Celcius. I am so happy our new place has proper heating and carpet in the bedrooms.

So yesterday i took the train to Guetersloh to meet up with J after work since we wanted to organise a few things back at The House. I'm calling our place, The House because well technically it is and seeing that we're still at the service apartment, we always get confused which place we're talking about.

There i was with my 2 layers, a pullover, a hoodie and a woolen coat even though the weatherman promised sunshine and no rain.

WRONG!

Ok, not entirely wrong. There was rain and it felt colder than 8 degrees Celcius. There were moody looking clouds in the sky threatening another down pour. But then i saw the most amazing looking rainbow. One that crossed over the City Hall and behind one of the local banks.


I just stood there like a deer in the headlights in absolute awe. And for a moment there i actually forgot i couldn't feel my face.

Nearly there...

J received a SMS on Saturday from the landlord to tell us that the previous tenant has moved out and that we can pretty much move in any time we like.

But seeing that we've already prepayed for the service apartment until the 17th, there's no point in moving out. Plus we figured we could take this week to organise the apartment a bit and make it more liveable which will ease the stress of moving into a place full of boxes.

So here it is...


I'm standing at the entrance of our front door looking down our hallway. Most of the boxes are in the rooms and the rest are in the cellar. But from this angle the place looks super neat and empty.

But i'll do a bit of a tour for you and work my way around the photo. On the left is the bathroom. Next to that there's a little gap where there's a small cupboard with a mirror so you can check yourself out before you head out. Next to that is the kitchen. Then straight ahead is a combined Little L/guest/my work room that looks out directly onto the balcony. To the right is the living room which has access to the balcony. And directly on the right from the entrance is our bedroom.

Oh and here is our balcony...


It's massive compared to the one we had in Düsseldorf. Our plants that took over most of our balcony before look so small in comparison. Our balcony looks over our landlord's garden, which is still a work-in-progress much like part of the house. But all the houses in the area are actually really beautiful. It is obvious that a lot of money and attention is put into caring for their gardens/property. It's no wonder the area is a sought after place to live.

So anyway, on Sunday we rearranged the furniture and put the boxes in the specified rooms, which in turn will make unpacking a helluva lot easier later. Plus when we finally do move in, we don't have to worry that our bed is still in pieces and the place is still disorganised.

We ended up selling a few of our pieces to help pay a small part of the move.

J's new company didn't finance any of our move and there were some items that were just too good to throw away. However we did end up leaving the ex's baby pram out on the roadside. We figured somebody would have made good use of it.

And by that time we were so fed up with the move, we just wanted to give everything away! The less things we have, the less we had to move. But seriously, when did we end up getting so much stuff!?

Within minutes of setting up the baby pram and bassinet and placing them by the trash, a man - i'm guessing Polish, came in one of those vans that drive around looking for decent pieces to resell, drove by. I like to call them Vultures. And true enough he was quick to snatch it up. Although this practice is illegal and if they get caught, they can be fined.

But you know what they say, One Mans' Trash is Another Mans' Treasure.


So yea, we ended up selling our 3-seater and 2-seater sofa on e-Bay and actually managed to get 112 Euros, which was far more than i had expected. I would have been well upset if they only sold for a Euro. We originally got the sofas from his colleague who was selling her things as part of a package deal last year that included a glass coffee table, electric cooker, some old kitchen cabinets and a small fridge.

But since our new place has a built-in kitchen we decided to leave the kitchen cabinets in Düsseldorf. J convinced the caretaker to take the apartment back with the kitchen cabinets and with the painted walls. Which in turn saves us from disposing of them and spending money on painting the walls white.

Our electric free standing Ceran top cooker/oven that we got managed to sell for 80 Euros. Which we never ended up using it since we decided to buy a fitted one from IKEA. And BabyA's IKEA bed sold for 21 Euros.

As for the massive glass coffee table - well that's gone.

You see, while we were in the process of carrying that heavy arse piece of glass down 2 flights of stairs, the side hit the last step and that miscalculation chipped off a piece. So the table edge looked more like a horizontal weapon that could easily slice any careless victim walking by.

Not good.

So in a way, i'm almost thankful that it happened before we transported it because it would have been a bitch to have carried it all that way for nothing!

And for the time being we're going to make use of Little L's play table as a temporary coffee table. And our hunt for a new sofa begins, one that possibly won't cost an arm or a leg and isn't made of that shiny pleather that when you sit down on it, your arse gets cold.

Keeping It Real.

Calling Ireland from Germany via ones' mobile is crazy expensive and even with a phone card it's close to a Euro/minute. For example a 5 Euro phone card will last us about 16 minutes when we call the ex's mobile. And if i call a land line on the other side of the world, for example Malaysia with 5 Euros worth of credit i can get about 300 minutes talk time.

Nuts i tell ya!


But all thanks to the wonderful world of Skype and the free phone calls via the internet, J and i are able to see Little L and BabyA every week or at least every other week. A chance to update one another of what each of us are doing. But basically a chance for Little L to see her 'Papa'. J thinks it's important that the kids see that we can all sit together in peace, which in turn can have positive effects on their development. Knowing that we're not biting each others heads off, will work to everybody's favor.

Most of the time we talk about what/how she's been doing at school or that she's learning how to swim/surf. Or sometimes she'll read us a few pages of her book. We continue to buy her German books, that way she doesn't forget her mother tongue. I am always amazed how well her English has improved and how kids are able to soak up a language so fast.


And even though we saw Little L just 3 months ago, she seems to have grown up so much! She's become quite a little lady but i guess that's what happens at that age. Every day they're changing.


Even BabyA is able to walk. Previously when we saw him he could barely stand up. He's not able to talk yet but likes to voice out whatever it is he's got going on in his head. He apparently has a bit of a temper but isn't scared of anything. It's obvious that he's super active since he's all over the place whenever we're online.

And Little L is still not liking the idea of sharing her room and being bullied - i guess that's how siblings are. But when they do get along it's really quite sweet. Here they are blowing kisses to us...


It's obvious that J misses Little L terribly and so i make sure we keep in contact regularly.

And even though he pays more than enough child support every month, nothing compares to actually interacting and being with the kids in real life. So in that sense we are really glad that the ex's boyfriend respects and treats them like his own kids.

I know J's not so comfortable with them calling the boyfriend "daddy" but that's a sacrifice he has made. And as J puts it, it's far easier on the kids to call the boyfriend "daddy" even though they're not his biological children. After all, we all want the kids to have a close-to-normal life as possible. I'm sure you know how cruel kids can be at school, they have a tendency to pick on others who are "different". But i know in J's heart he knows he'll always be their "Papa" but i guess it's still a bit sad, ya know?

So for now we may feel like we're only faces on a computer screen and the people who send presents from Germany but i guess that's the price we pay in order for everyone to move on and get on with their lives.

And let me tell you, that's heaps better than not having any contact at all.

Rejuvenating, Remembering and Reviving.

The weekend that just passed seemed to have come and gone. It was the first weekend in probably over a month that J and i got to relax. There was no empty box needing to be filled or an item to be carried from point A to B.

In the past 2 plus weeks, J has developed these big red bruise-like spots on his legs. More specifically directly on his shins. And even with the meds that the doc has given him, they don't seem to be improving. I guess with the combination of the move, traveling and him having to start his new job, the spots ranging from the size of a ping pong ball to a base ball just got worse.

He went to the doctor and they told him it was Erytheme Nudosum. He got a blood test done and apparently everything is in working order. Although his white blood cells were high, which could only mean that his body was fighting an infection but where exactly is unknown.

So when Friday came around we decided we'd not do anything.

We took advantage of the yearly pass to the local library that we got from registering as a resident in the new town and rented out a bunch of movies. Each card holder is entitled to borrow 10 movies a week and the best part is, they were free! We figured it would be a much cheaper solution than heading to the corner store and renting out a movie for 3,50 Euros/night.


J also moved the small tv from the living room into the bedroom. And rearranged the furniture and suitcases so they weren't in the way. Ordered pizzas and pretty much had a picnic on the two single beds that lay side by side. So Friday evening into Saturday was pretty much a movie marathon. An excuse to hibernate and rejuvenate.

The 5:30am wake up calls have thrown our body clocks out of whack.

The usual morning ritual is when J's in the shower getting ready for work, i prepare breakfast. Make sure all this things that he needs for work is in one area and roll him 5 cigarettes for the day. Squeeze in about 15 minutes of conversation over a bowl of muesli and a fresh cup of coffee, then out the door he goes at 6:45am. Which also means going to bed much earlier. And by 10pm my eyelids are already getting very heavy.

Sunday morning we were up rather early. I'm guessing we overslept the day before and being cooped up indoors all day, one feeds on the sluggish-ness. At first we thought we'd head to Alex, a favorite restaurant/café in Guetersloh that has Sunday brunch. But last minute we decided to drive to Hannover which is about 100km away from Bielefeld. When J came back to Germany in 2000 or so, he used to live there with some friends.

The city is known for its university and it surprisingly has a lot of greenery and parks. On one particular street we were on the buildings on the right-hand side dated back to before the war and those on the left had to be rebuilt because when Hannover was bombed during the war, that side of the road was destroyed whilst the other side remained in tact. The post-war buildings somehow lacked detail and was far more boring in appearance. Although i forgot to take a photo, i'm sure i'll be back there again so i'll take a photo next time.

So anyway, J decided to call his friend up to see if he and his fiancée wanted to come out for brunch with us, seeing that we were in the area. Their friendship dates back over a decade and one that J often speaks about.

And although they said their English wasn't that great, i begged to differ. We all were able to get along quite well. In fact, 90% of the conversations were in English and the rest i patched together and made sense of it.

Seriously, since i've been watching TV in German for the past year and a half, my vocabulary has definitely improved. I mean hell, i can just about read the whole menu on my own - it must be those cooking shows.


The last time we saw them was November last year. But i guess the 3 hour drive from Duesseldorf is a bit of a hike, hence the reason why J and i never got around to seeing them more often.

But now that we're only about an hour's drive, we have more reason to go there. Plus the city is far more exciting than Guetersloh.


The Sunday brunch buffet place was closed so we ended up at a Vegetarian restaurant called Otto. It's situated in the heart of the university area where mainly students live, so the prices are much cheaper than other places.

Sunday was Schnitzel Day so it was slightly cheaper, so i ordered the vegetarian version. And although it wasn't the real deal, it was still rather tasty.

J also got to meet up with his friends brother, whom he hadn't seen in about 8 years. All because of an argument/misunderstanding between the brother and the ex. So of course J's ex disapproved of their friendship. In fact, she disapproved of many things back in the day.

So then after 8 years they managed to unravel the past and J said he was sorry. It got a bit intense but i reckon a couple more sit-downs, it'll be like water under the bridge and everyone can be friends again.

But like i told J, even though they lost Time and there were a lot of unanswered questions, now if any should be the time to swallow your pride and try and mend their friendships. After all they were best friends and it was J that turned his back on them all because of his ex.


We sort of lost track of time and before we knew it our stomachs were grumbling. It was time for dinner. J had told me about this little restaurant that was run by an old french lady who came to Germany donkey years ago and decided to open a café and sell only baguettes with all sorts of toppings.


I ended up getting the mushrooms, cheese, salad and bean sprouts. And of course, i had to wash it down with my all-time favorite Kristallweizenbier. J got the ham and banana. Yes i said banana. He said it was good. I didn't try it cause it had meat on it but i take his word for it.

So yea, that was our weekend.

We rested. Spent some quality time with J. Didn't have to pack or unpack. Ate well. Met up with friends and i got to see more of Germany. What more could i have asked for.