MISSING: My lil' Christmas Bling.

Do you believe in signs? I do.

You know the kind that if something or a series of things happens, be it good or bad, it is a rough indication of how a certain something/day is going to turn out. OK, to be more specific, i seem to have lost misplaced my ring. Not just any ring but the "i love you" diamond ring J bought me nearly two Christmases ago.

Let me rewind a bit more.

You see, on Thursday, J and i went randomly to the Jewellers to look at wedding rings together.

Wait!

We're not getting married... well not just yet.

J's old fashion and plans to ask my parents if he can have my hand in marriage first. And from what he tells me, he hasn't asked yet.

So anyway, we were just curious to see how much those engagement/wedding rings would cost. You know, should J one day pop the big question. And after trying on a few, we eventually decided on a particular style that best suited my stumpy fingers and left feeling giddy.

We concluded that engagement rings in Germany are overpriced and our best bet is to go overseas to buy them. And before anyone asks, i didn't leave the ring at the Jewellers because i remember coming home with it.

So back to my Signs theory, i'm taking it as a bad omen that, a] we shouldn't get married anytime soon - not like we were planning to anyway. b] If i can't take care of a ring a fraction of an engagement rings' cost, how can i take care of one that i can't even afford? c] If you repeat things enough times, it WILL happen - like all those times i would say, "i really should remember to put away my ring before one day i lose it".

And yes, i've looked in all the places that i would have normally put it. And i've even looked in the most random of places like the fridge and in the cupboards.

I remember my ex and i were staying at a hotel and in a very intoxicated state woke up the next day looking desperately for some keys.

Turned out it was INSIDE the mini fridge.

-__-

I know, how random, right?

So i've checked out our fridge. It ain't there.

I looked there because on Friday we went out for drinks. Which now i'm thinking is probably more blog-worthy to read about and i even have photos but until i find that damn ring, i won't be able to regurgitate my wine induced thoughts just yet.

I've even gone as far as browsing through photos i took that night, hoping i could see a glimpse of the ring, just to confirm that i had it on that night and i did come home with it. But none of the shots show my hand with the ring in clear view.

It's moments like these i wished i had a wardrobe worth taking photos of, you know those blogs that dedicate a What I Wore Today section. There i could look back and see what i wore and then i would be one step closer to figuring where to locate the missing item.

But thanks to my good-as-Alzheimer's brain of mine, i can't for the love of all things Great and Beautiful can remember where i left my ring last. I know i wouldn't have taken it off when i was out on Friday, so where is it!?

I wish i had a Time Machine.

Yesterday i was so convinced that Luna ate it. Or hid it.

Cats don't eat metal but the way she was eyeballing me earlier, i couldn't be sure.

I even thought Yoshi may have tried to play ice hockey with it and shot it in the bathroom sink. So i asked J to help me dismantle the pipe but was greatly disappointed to find only a few strands of my hair entangled at the bottom.

It has to be in the apartment but where i don't know.

I'm going to recheck every pocket, unfold every clothing item AGAIN and even turn over every drawer because seriously, it couldn't have just walked right out of here. Mark my word, no rubbish bin will leave the front door without a full inspection!

AND

to make matters worse, i woke up last night... again in a coughing frenzy a.k.a i'm getting sick.

*Throws fist in the air*

My hunt continues...

We build up Castles in the Sky and in the Sand...

I'm horrible at remembering names and that includes the names of songs or tracks. Faces i can just about remember or at least try and place in my flashcards-type memory. They say, in order to remember someone's name especially if you're meeting them for the first time is to say their name back in the sentence that you introduce yourself and to at least use their name 3 times within a time frame.

So anyway this post is an example of how a tune is able to bring you back to a particular moment in your past. A representation of a Time in space. And how with a little luck and determination i was able to find the name of a particular track even though i had no idea who it was by and was unable to even remember a verse or a few key words.

Yes i am that useless.

Then by simply stumbling upon a Minimal House Electro Charts website and listening to the samples, i found it!

Yes i put my S-M-R-T cells together.

...

The first time i heard the track was at Rheingold, a club that J and i used to go to in Düsseldorf. They would often would play this tune at some point during the night. And each time i heard it, i would get that feel-good feeling inside. You know how some tunes you hear just makes you feel good. Well this particular tune makes me wanna cry, it's just beautiful.

At Rheingold they would focus spot lights on the massive disco ball hovering over the dance floor, which they would then lower slightly, as if some kind of space ship was about to land and the lights would beam off it. It was always beautiful to watch.

But of course, each time we left the club we wouldn't know the name of the tune or the DJ. So we'd always look forward to returning just so we could hear it.

So yea, over the weekend, J and i drove back to Düsseldorf to pick up more items from our old flat and to basically clean up a bit. And out of the blue on the radio, that particular track came on! It was the first time i heard it outside of the club but immediately my brain associated it was all the good times and summarized the past year in Düsseldorf.

And so here it is, "Sky and Sand" by Paul Kalkbrenner... Enjoy!



The video is snippets of the movie, Berlin Calling. Which was released only 3 weeks ago on DVD and one that i really want to watch. It's in German but it has English subtitles.

Berlin Calling is about a "Berlin electronic music composer Martin (Paul Kalkbrenner), known as DJ Ickarus, is touring with his manager and girlfriend Mathilde (Rita Lengyel) from club to club around the globe and is about to release their biggest album to date. However, all of his plans are thrown out of kilter after Ickarus is submitted to the emergency ward of a psychiatric clinic high on drugs after a gig- A tragicomedy in Berlin of today." [source]

The tale of the Invisible hole and the Confused.

I was rudely awaken by the sound of scraping and what sounded like fingers raking the wallpaper at 7:30am. Thinking it would go away i tried to ignore it. But i couldn't. The sound only escalated to hammering at around 9. It sounded like it was directly above my head. I sat up thinking that whoever it was that felt the urge to do household repairs at such an absurd time had dug a hole in our bedroom wall and was now standing beside our bed.

But there was no person or hole, just that annoying banging sound.

So i grabbed my duvet [J has his own] and made my way to the living room and threw it on the sofa. We have no curtains or blinds in there, so not only was the sound not pleasant but the brightness was just as annoying. There i was hoping that i would escape the sound but to my disappointment the sound seemed to follow me. It echoed throughout the apartment and i could feel a headache coming on.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing i knew it was 11am and i had just dreamt of a murder of which i had been apparently involved in. I went back into the room to see if there was any damage to our wall. Half awake, barefoot and very confused from the dream, i stood there thinking there'd be a dead body tucked away somewhere.

But there was nothing. Not even J.

I was sure i didn't say good-bye to him this morning. I knew he didn't have to go into work until much later. And for a second there i panicked. He wasn't in the bathroom or the kitchen. Our place is not that big and has very few hiding spots. But it took me a while to register that we actually have another bedroom directly opposite our room. One that screams CHILD ZONE.


And nestled in a cloud of primary and secondary colours there he was, oblivious to what had just happened he peeled open his eyes. Distracted once again, all i could think was, why didn't i think about hiding in this room?

I reckon i'd also be a terrible Witness.

Today i have officially been living in Germany for 1 year. Isn't that crazy?! Where does all this time go? Who sat on the remote and pressed the fast forward button?

Well today was a public holiday known as Rosenmontag which translates into English as, Rose Monday. But it's also Carnival Monday and for all the Christians out there, it's the Monday before Lent.

There was a huge parade in the city with floats, people dressed up in all sorts of costumes and tonnes of alcohol. The floats carry people who chuck all sorts of beaded necklaces, candy and sorts to the public. German folk songs are blasted on loud speakers and people of all ages seem to know the lyrics and steps. It's quite hilarious to watch especially if they're completely wasted and wearing a costume. All the different breweries open up stalls along the roadside so you have a choice of beers all in a few metres from one another.

But we didn't end up going.

Neither one of us was in any mood to get up early and try to push our way to the front. Neither one of us were blessed with extra height, so it would be a bitch to go out and only see the backs of peoples' heads. Damn those tall people who bully those vertically challenged!

And since it was the long weekend, it was more than likely that people would be already drunk by the night before, if not by the morning. Apparently, when J volunteered for the Red Cross some years back, he said he was called in to work on Rosenmontag and saw lots of fights break out. The crowd can get quite rowdy, which explains why the Police surround the city centre and walk the streets in big groups.

So instead, J and i celebrated the day in our PJs. Stuffed ourselves with homemade pizza, random junk food and watched a string of movies. What a great day it was!

One movie in particular i will have to recommend is Slumdog Millionaire. Funny thing is, Ms. Redd had mentioned it in one of her posts and so i was telling J about a movie that a friend had recommended and one that i wanted to watch but had forgotten its' title. And not long after, forgot who actually mentioned it and where i actually read it. [I know it's shocking, i can sometimes have a brain the size of a fish.] My temporary memory loss meant i couldn't even describe the movie cause i didn't actually watch the trailer because Firefox froze. [Not much help there either.]

But then today, as if J read my subconscious, put on the movie. Whatta kwinky-dink!

And even though the conversation about what the mystery title of the movie was was more than 12 hours ago, i immediately remembered the title the second i heard it. It was like a jolt to my brain, i was so excited that i was able to actually remember the title. However, it's a pity being forgetful doesn't improve with age.

Oh well.



But if you can't be bothered to watch the trailer here's a description that i ripped off:

"From Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, comes the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

Seriously. Go watch it. It made me cry at the end and it's called Slumdog Millionaire.

Long Island Tea and half the night gone.

I am absolutely wrecked no thanks to my smart arse idea to drink long island tea last night. It reminds me of those days at Brannigans way back in the early 90s.

Last night i was feeling slightly generous and opted to say no to beer once we walked into the club. I'm thinking i should have probably stuck to my guns but oh well. The waiter managed to convince me that 2 jugs for RM80 was worthwhile and it didn't take much negotiating since i agreed pretty much the second he finished the question.

Looking like a bit of an alcoholic i managed to finish the first jug in no time. It so happened that everybody wasn't in a drinking mood, so i happily sipped away. In fact the jugs were meant to be shared but i found myself with the straw practically attached to my lips.

Can't remember the second half of the night and i only have a few photographs to prove that i was standing up right. Although i'm not sure for how long since apparently i was talking jibberish at one point. I shamelessly created streaks on the side of Chook's car and what was once consumed is now basking in the sunlight just outside my front door.

Not good... not good.

Even though i've cut down on my drinking, i realised it's nearly impossible to stop at just one. Much like a chain smoker, i am forever in search of my next drink even before i've finished. It's not very often i get blind drunk as i'm usually the last one standing and can usually remember most details.

But i agreed to go to the twins' birthday party tonight and i foresee a very wasted evening ahead. And at this moment in time, alcohol is not my friend and frequent lie downs are a must!

XPARTY partially remembered

As usual, the night began at Terrace Bar with Heinekin. As time ticked on, more and more people arrived. Tonight was XPARTY with Bass Agents + Fono. Supastar and Agro were in no hurry to get inside, as they were only scheduled to start playing at 1am. But for some, the party had begun and Black Label was the flavor for the night. It was just past midnight when we decided to go inside.

By the time the boys came on, Zouk was packed! It was nearly impossible to move anywhere without getting smooshed into the corner. Having found myself a place to sit, i pretty much stayed there all night.

That was until i decided i'd take some photos and make my rounds of hugs. Which often was followed by, "CHRISSIE... HAVE A DRINK WITH ME!" So me being me and welcomed to the idea, i say SURE thing... THANKS!

Which is probably something i shouldn't do too often, as i can never be too sure what is actually being poured into it. Except that it "smells" like whiskey and any odd taste can easily be mistaken for a bad mix.

And although that night was not the first time my drink MIGHT have been laced with something other than liquor. One can never tell who was responsible. I admit, i don't remember much of what happened after i took the following photos. Because one second i'm chatting and smiling and then the next i'm chucking part of my guts out... *hides*

[To view the above images, you can perve on them at winkris.multiply.com/photos/album/18].

So i get ushered home and hopefully without making a huge scene, i get back home in one piece. But then again, the chances of making a silent getaway is slim slim seeing that the venue was packed like a can of sardines. I'm just hoping i didn't embarrass myself or do anything stupid prior to being rescued.

My journey home has mysteriously been erased from my memory banks and about 90% of happened in the hours following, i can't remember. But i can only piece together what i think might have happened. But the 10% that i do recall is very sketchy and it's one of those things that all one can do is accept it and move on.

But a lot went on when i got home but unfortunately only segments flash through my mind. Which in a way is quite freaky since it was apparent i was semi-functional and even had enough energy to take a shower [which i don't remember doing]. Honestly, i can't imagine myself climbing over the bathtub and standing up right without smacking my head on the side. In fact, i don't remember even how i got up the stairs.

KEYNOTE: Consciousness is the lesser of all evils.