It's still holiday here and as I was enjoying my lunch today, I decided to have a look on how the world was doing.
Today, Monday the 31st of October 2011, Humanity hit 7 billion people.
A BBC Newscast can be found on this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15522679
Enjoy =)
Monday, October 31, 2011
*Insert impressive title here*
Elfie is a colleague of mine here at my new job in St. Blasien, Germany. I received a letter from Elfie and her husband inviting me to join them for a tour around the area (since I'm new and too lazy to explore it on my own) that would follow a typical German lunch (I'm now aware that such thing doesn't exist).
With great joy and a warm heart I posted back "Love to" in her post box in the Lehrerzimmer (teacher's room). We set up a meeting for a Saturday (not actually sure, but it's nice to have a name on my day) and when Saturday came, I was accompanied by her and her husband up a long hill to their home. I arrived there exhausted from the walk and out of breath and feeling a little embarrassed because I was so out of shape.
We cooked together a great meal consisting of steak heavily drowned in onions, potatoes, and vegetables (a la moroccan NOT German way). We enjoyed our meal and some drinks and laughs and then they said: Sollen wir jetzt spazieren gehen? (Shall we go for a walk). We walked to a nearby cafe and bakery, where she placed an order for a Schwarzwaldkuchen.
The Schwarzwaldkuchen is the sweet of the region. Schwarzwald meaning Black Forest and Kuchen meaning cake. I still wasn't able to make a connection that I already KNEW this cake, I already ATE this cake on so many different occasions, I HAVE tried it before! In all honesty though, even if I didn't, I wouldn't want to burst this amazing lady's bubble by telling her "Oh yea, I eat that all the time. Not really my favorite thing on earth".
2 hours of walking up hills (Mountains of pain for me) and reaching the highest one (Still mountain for me), we decide to get back to pick up our treats and head home for the German Tea Time (Those wicked buggers stole our specialty! - a voice with a British accent in my head said). As they were struggling to make their coffee machine work (It wasn't tea after all), I was having my own war with both my desire to be polite and show them that I knew how to cut a cake and serve it without getting my hands dirty with all the cream and my desire to get this shit over with so I can sit, eat my cake, and leave, as I was now hating them more and more for the 2 excruciating hours of hiking.
Thank you oh merciful coffee machine for working and making us coffee!
I ate my cake and left. I did get lost in the ol' Schwarzwald and almost reached a Swiss border but I was able to get back home and enjoy ranting to my friend about how they tried to kill me (Oh drama, what would we do with you). Walking home that night, I pondered the happenings of my day and then took a long pause which was followed by me smacking myself on the head.
I have been here for 2 months. 2 months + all the times I said Schwarzwald + all the times I've ate Black forest cake before, has been the time I've spent completely oblivious to the fact that:
Schwarzwaldkuchen IS The Black Forest Cake. I'm at the home of that cake. I KNOW THIS PLACE.
Why is this important? No clue.
And as a reward for sitting down and reading my stupidity I give you a picture of and recipe of the Schwarzwaldkuchen.
With great joy and a warm heart I posted back "Love to" in her post box in the Lehrerzimmer (teacher's room). We set up a meeting for a Saturday (not actually sure, but it's nice to have a name on my day) and when Saturday came, I was accompanied by her and her husband up a long hill to their home. I arrived there exhausted from the walk and out of breath and feeling a little embarrassed because I was so out of shape.
We cooked together a great meal consisting of steak heavily drowned in onions, potatoes, and vegetables (a la moroccan NOT German way). We enjoyed our meal and some drinks and laughs and then they said: Sollen wir jetzt spazieren gehen? (Shall we go for a walk). We walked to a nearby cafe and bakery, where she placed an order for a Schwarzwaldkuchen.
The Schwarzwaldkuchen is the sweet of the region. Schwarzwald meaning Black Forest and Kuchen meaning cake. I still wasn't able to make a connection that I already KNEW this cake, I already ATE this cake on so many different occasions, I HAVE tried it before! In all honesty though, even if I didn't, I wouldn't want to burst this amazing lady's bubble by telling her "Oh yea, I eat that all the time. Not really my favorite thing on earth".
2 hours of walking up hills (Mountains of pain for me) and reaching the highest one (Still mountain for me), we decide to get back to pick up our treats and head home for the German Tea Time (Those wicked buggers stole our specialty! - a voice with a British accent in my head said). As they were struggling to make their coffee machine work (It wasn't tea after all), I was having my own war with both my desire to be polite and show them that I knew how to cut a cake and serve it without getting my hands dirty with all the cream and my desire to get this shit over with so I can sit, eat my cake, and leave, as I was now hating them more and more for the 2 excruciating hours of hiking.
Thank you oh merciful coffee machine for working and making us coffee!
I ate my cake and left. I did get lost in the ol' Schwarzwald and almost reached a Swiss border but I was able to get back home and enjoy ranting to my friend about how they tried to kill me (Oh drama, what would we do with you). Walking home that night, I pondered the happenings of my day and then took a long pause which was followed by me smacking myself on the head.
I have been here for 2 months. 2 months + all the times I said Schwarzwald + all the times I've ate Black forest cake before, has been the time I've spent completely oblivious to the fact that:
Schwarzwaldkuchen IS The Black Forest Cake. I'm at the home of that cake. I KNOW THIS PLACE.
Why is this important? No clue.
And as a reward for sitting down and reading my stupidity I give you a picture of and recipe of the Schwarzwaldkuchen.
Cheers and enjoy your cake.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Here's a tip to all you single ladies.
If you are a single woman travelling or living alone, this one is for you.
I am too a single woman living on my own (yes my always absent flatmate doesn't count) and I'm too a woman who experiences that once in a month disaster.
That time when we all feel like a blow fish that is ready to explode at any given minute. As we all know, it hurts, it sucks, we feel like we hate being women and we feel like walking ugly bubbles incapable of doing anything and even the most religious of us would ask and if not for once curse god for making her a female. But, as I have discovered with the help of a fellow Redittor, there is a way to feel better.
I present you:
This amazing father posted a link on Reddit.com showing his solution to his wife and daughter PMSing together. From THIS man, I've come up with this following recipe:
To men who read this,
A. LEARN!
B. Honestly, you have yourselves to blame if you piss off a woman on her period. Anyone with any sense of self preservation would either run to the far end of the world away from a woman on her period, or would do the nice thing and have the balls to remain by her side whilst giving her the needed support and taking the hits. At that time a month, we are guaranteed to be emotional ticking bombs. It only takes one wrong word, or a right one, to turn her into a volcano of emotions. In all seriousness, just do whatever she says to get through it because if you don't, all hell would break loose. Bad things happen to good people.
A link to the post on Reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/lkekx/wife_and_daughters_pmsing_no_problem_i_got_this/
If you don't know what Reddit is, I recommend you join the addiction.
Happy Periods!
Amy.
I am too a single woman living on my own (yes my always absent flatmate doesn't count) and I'm too a woman who experiences that once in a month disaster.
That time when we all feel like a blow fish that is ready to explode at any given minute. As we all know, it hurts, it sucks, we feel like we hate being women and we feel like walking ugly bubbles incapable of doing anything and even the most religious of us would ask and if not for once curse god for making her a female. But, as I have discovered with the help of a fellow Redittor, there is a way to feel better.
I present you:
 |
| SUGAR! |
Two scoops of Tiramisu flavor ice cream mixed with 2 chocolate chip cookies broken to small pieces. Unfortunately, it doesn't look that good here but that's as good as my C3 Nokia can get. It may look like dirt but it tastes like Chocolate heaven and I assure you, it will paint a smile on your single or lonely face.
To men who read this,
A. LEARN!
B. Honestly, you have yourselves to blame if you piss off a woman on her period. Anyone with any sense of self preservation would either run to the far end of the world away from a woman on her period, or would do the nice thing and have the balls to remain by her side whilst giving her the needed support and taking the hits. At that time a month, we are guaranteed to be emotional ticking bombs. It only takes one wrong word, or a right one, to turn her into a volcano of emotions. In all seriousness, just do whatever she says to get through it because if you don't, all hell would break loose. Bad things happen to good people.
A link to the post on Reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/lkekx/wife_and_daughters_pmsing_no_problem_i_got_this/
If you don't know what Reddit is, I recommend you join the addiction.
Happy Periods!
Amy.
The Social Network is after me.
So, it's the Herbsteferien (Fall Holiday).
A. I do not understand the necessity to have a specific self existing holiday to mark a season.
B. Since I am broke and too far from anyone I know in Germany, I decided to stay home in St. Blasien.
Egal! (term to mean irrelevance or lack of importance of a thing in German). I planned out this holiday well. I shall stay home, do some work and self searching. Most importantly, I will embark on a journey to discover what I want to do with my life.
First day today, did nothing important. Went out for a coffee. Bought a DVD I thought was interesting. Cooked dinner and then sat down to enjoy my movie and meal.
Full stomach, Check.
Movie enjoyed, Check.
Nicotine inhaled, Check.
A few minutes later I log into Facebook and on the suggestions for People To Subscribe To, I find "Eduardo Saverin" and "Mark Zuckerberg". I kid you not, my Heart skipped a beat and I looked around me for a minute to check if I was really alone.
Facebook.
Increasing level of Paranoia one Log in at a time.
HOW DID THEY KNOW that I JUST watched "The Social Network"?
Why am I not thinking that this is merely a fluke?
Because I only usually get subscription suggests for people I know and things I look up or things I'm interested in. I usually don't go on Facebook or Google to read up on how the good ol' inventors of Facebook are doing.
I must get to the bottom of this!!
A. I do not understand the necessity to have a specific self existing holiday to mark a season.
B. Since I am broke and too far from anyone I know in Germany, I decided to stay home in St. Blasien.
Egal! (term to mean irrelevance or lack of importance of a thing in German). I planned out this holiday well. I shall stay home, do some work and self searching. Most importantly, I will embark on a journey to discover what I want to do with my life.
First day today, did nothing important. Went out for a coffee. Bought a DVD I thought was interesting. Cooked dinner and then sat down to enjoy my movie and meal.
Full stomach, Check.
Movie enjoyed, Check.
Nicotine inhaled, Check.
A few minutes later I log into Facebook and on the suggestions for People To Subscribe To, I find "Eduardo Saverin" and "Mark Zuckerberg". I kid you not, my Heart skipped a beat and I looked around me for a minute to check if I was really alone.
Facebook.
Increasing level of Paranoia one Log in at a time.
HOW DID THEY KNOW that I JUST watched "The Social Network"?
Why am I not thinking that this is merely a fluke?
Because I only usually get subscription suggests for people I know and things I look up or things I'm interested in. I usually don't go on Facebook or Google to read up on how the good ol' inventors of Facebook are doing.
I must get to the bottom of this!!
Friday, October 28, 2011
What I wake up to every morning.
Other than the fact that I come from a country where frost only occurs on rare occasions, I'm also not equipped mentally nor physically nor clothes-wise to handle this particular phenomenon.
For those like me coming from Middle Eastern countries, or any other region falling around or nearby the equator, frost is:
A deposit of small white ice crystals formed on the ground or other surfaces when the temperature falls below freezing. – Google.
Freezing, again for those who have never experienced it, is:
Reaching the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid when cooled. – Google.
In other words, it gets so cold here that plants, and chairs, and any other surfaces containing water or are covered in dew, freeze.
At first, I thought it was snow. I got so excited, went to touch it and my first reaction was:
Ouch Ouch Ouuuuch!!
Seconds later, I fell down on the frosty frost grass butt-first and started crying.
It's safe to say, that I learned my lesson.
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