Austausch an der Uni Mannheim 08

Eine gute Pause in Melaka

2010-08-18T23:16:00.008+08:00

Ich mag Melaka, obwohl die Stadt sehr klein ist und es dort nicht so viel zu machen gibt. Aber das Leben da ist wirklich sehr einfach und kostet nicht so viel. Dieses Jahr war ich schon 2 Mal da, und vor 2 Wochen weil wir den Nationaltag feierten, bin ich mit meiner Familie nach Melaka für das Wochenende gegangen. Ich hab schon vor langer Zeit auf diese Reise vorbereitet. Eigentlich wollte ich nach Hong Kong gehen aber die Zeit passt nicht so gut zu meinem Vater, weil er am nächsten Tag arbeiten musste. Naja, Melaka ist eigentlich nicht so schlecht. Ich musste auf jeden Fall für das Wochenende aus Singapur abhauen!

Aber wir haben eine Überraschung bekommen, als wir an der Grenze waren. Es gab so so so so viele Leute, die nach Malaysia zurückgefahren sind, und deswegen haben wir unseren Bus verpasst! Scheiße, damals hab ich gedacht, wir kommen nie zu Melaka. Aber dann haben wir an der Grenze in Malaysia einen Busfahrer getroffen, der auch nach Melaka fuhr.

Was kann man in Melaka tun? Wenn ich da bin, mache ich immer die gleiche Dinge. Aber ich finde das überhaupt nicht langweilig. Einkaufen, essen, spazieren gehen, historischen Stätten besuchen.. ja Melaka ist doch eine historische Stadt.

Will jemand nach Melaka fahren? Ruf mich einfach an, wir machen noch eine Reise dahin zusammen! Oder Vietnam? Am Ende dieses Jahr? Bin auf der suche nach Leuten die nach Vietnam gehen wollen...

Und jetzt die Bilder von den Aktivitäten in Melaka

Das kann man mit dem Marktplatz in Europa vergleichen

Am Fluß

Wir haben eine Stunde auf das Essen gewartet! So eine lange Schlange aber es ist die Mühe wert.

Guten Appetit!

Ich mag das Essen in Meleka, total einfach billig... 3 Krabben, 1 Fisch, Tintenfisch, Satay, Gemüsen, La La (ich weiß nicht wie man das auf Deutsch sagt), 3 Flaschen Bier... alles nur für $17 pro Person. Einfach Billig!

Die anderen Bilder auf dieser Seite:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/7Aug109Aug10MelakaShirley#

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/Aug7Aug9MelakaCindy#

Opportunitätskosten

2010-05-10T20:53:00.001+08:00

Was wäre ich, wenn ich nicht bei der EDB arbeite? Vielleicht wäre ich ein Sänger wie Raymond Lam? Ein Lehrer in einem JC?

Vor 2 Monaten habe ich mein persönlich geschriebenes Handbuch ins Internet hochgeladen, damit meine Schülern, did ich Nachhilfe gebe, als PDF runterladen können. Schon habe ich eigentlich ein Paar Emails von Schülern aus Ausland bekommen, aber ich habe sie ignoriert. Heute habe ich eine interessante Email von einer Lehrerin von einem Privatcollege in Perak bekommen:

Hi,

I am Jas, an Economics teacher for A Level Cambridge board at this college. I have seen your manual and I found it very useful for my students. Do you have it in softcopy format so that I can buy? Do you want to have a partnership in completing some of the topics that are relevant to A level examinations?
Thank you.
Your prompt reply is very much appreciated.

Vielleicht soll ich dieses Handbuch veroffentlichen und Lizenzgebühren bekommen.

zufällig vorgefunden

2010-03-10T21:27:00.004+08:00

Leider geh ich morgen nicht nach Mannheim, sondern nach Meleka. Naja....

2010

2010-01-03T12:51:00.004+08:00

Vor einer Woche hab ich meiner Gastfamilie in Münster eine Nachricht pro SMS geschickt, und sie hat mich gefragt ob ich 2010 nach Deutschland wieder komme. Ich weiß schon dass die Antwort negativ ist. Leider. Ich wollte mal hier schreiben was 2009 in meinem Leben passiert ist. So viel ist passiert.

Am Ende 2008 hab ich sie gefunden, an dem Müllkasten im Wohnheim der Uni. Anfang dieses Jahres gingen wir zusammen. Jetzt noch. Letzer Sonntag hab ich ihr gesagt dass wir Geld sparen sollten, damit wir 2011 nach Europa gehen kann. Ich kenne Deutschland so gut wie meinen Hinterhof (ich hoffe noch). Inzwischen ist mein Deutsch aber so schlecht geworden. Naja, ich hoffe dass wir einen Urlaub machen können, wohin ist das eigentlich egal. Sowieso fliegt sie am Donnerstag nach Singapur zurück, und darauf freue ich mich sehr.

Dann habe ich im ersten halben Jahr meine Bachelorarbeit bei Tomoo geschrieben. Es war ein Albtraum und ich bin mir sicher dass ich in der Zukunft keine Bachelorarbeit schreiben will. Aber zum Glück hat er mir eine Note, die ich brauche, gegeben. Eigentlich finde ich ihn ziemlich gut, außer der Zeit der Bachelorarbeit.

Danach war ich mit Chang in Hong Kong. Ich finde die Stadt sehr schön. Es sieht genau so, was man im TVB sieht. Obwohl Hong Kong ziemlich ähnlich wie Singapur aussieht, aber es ist da viel interessanter.... und da ist mehr los, auf jeden Fall. Um dahin zu gehen ist eigentlich nicht so teuer. Kein Wunder dass so viele Leute 2 Mal pro Jahr nach Hong Kong gehen. Shenzhen war auch gut, obwohl die Stadt ein bisschen kompliziert ist. Ich meine, da kann man ziemlich billig einkaufen, aber viele Leute meinen dass die Sicherheit da nicht so gut ist. Aber als wir da waren, haben wir keine schlechte Erfahrungen. Vielleicht sind wir beide Männer. Das Kurbad in Shenzhen finde ich auch ganz gut, und billig.

Ende Juni habe ich mit meiner ersten Arbeit angefangen. Das war die Wende meines Leben. Anfang war das noch ok, aber dann finde ich dass ich so viel zu tun hab, dass ich fast keine Zeit hab, Nachhilfe zu gehen. Und dieser Donnerstag halte ich mein erstes, sehr wichtiges Referat. Ich weiß nicht wie das gehen wird. Eigentlich weiß ich schon dass ich nicht so lang bei dieser Firma bleiben kann. Obwohl die Arbeit mir interessant vorkommt, weiß ich schon, dass die Arbeit und Kultur mir nicht so gut passt.

Was wünsche ich mir ins neue Jahr? Ich hoffe dass ich den richtigen Weg finden kann. Sehr unklar? Ich denke auch.

Hari selasa... 3 hari sampai hari jumat

2009-08-11T22:49:00.007+08:00

Sekarang sudah jam sebelas kurang seperempat. Hari ini saya bekerja sampai jam tujuh malam. Sesudah bekerja, saya pergi ke rumah Clement. Dia belajar Ekonomi dan saya guru dia. Sesudah itu saya makan malam. Setiap hari saya makan terlambat. Tadi siang saya makan siang jam dua! Tetapi hawker centre tidak banyak orang. Hari ini saya makan tidak di Raffles City foodcourt. Tadi siang saya mau jalan-jalan.

Kemarin dulu hari merdeka Singapura. Saya pergi ke Esplanade dengan teman saya. Kami pergi sana naik bis. Di sana banyak orang asing. Semua jalan macet! Saya sudah 26 tahun, tetapi setiap tahun hari merdeka saya menonton TV di rumah. Itu pertama kali saya ke sana.

ok, saya mau mandi. Sesusah itu saya tidur. Besok hari rabu. 3 hari lagi hari jumat! Saya suka hari jumat, karena hari jumat malam saya tidak bekerja.

Argh Indon is harder than I thought.

Teman teman

2009-08-04T23:04:00.003+08:00

Saya ada teman baru, namanya Farrah. Kemarin hari pertama dia di EDB. Meja dia di sebelah saya. Farrah orang Singapura, tapi suku bangsa dia Arab. Dia kuliah di LSE dahulu dan juga belajar Ekonomi. Dia hanya datang kembali dari London bulan yang lalu.

Kemarin kami makan siang di Thai Express. Saya suka masakan Thai, tapi Thai Express tidak sedap dan mahal sekali. Nasi ayam $13! Saya akan tidak pernah makan sini lagi nanti.

Kemarin dulu saya bertemu dengan Stephanie. Dia dari Jerman dan 10 bulan yang lalu dia datang ke Singapura. Dia mengerjakan proyek percobaan di Biopolis dan proyek dia sudah selesai. Hari ini dia pergi kembali ke Jerman. Saya juga mau pergi ke Jerman! Ok, 5 tahun lagi akan saya pergi sini lagi. Sekarang saya hanya depat pergi ke Bintan atau Batam! Mungkin ke Hong Kong tahun depan....

Pengalamanku

2009-07-08T22:24:00.005+08:00

Saya suka belajar bahasa baru, dan saya harus belajar bahasa Indonesia. Mengapa? Pekerjaan saya pejabat di EDB. Saya harus pergi sering ke Batam dan Bintan. Dan Malaysia juga. Saya bekerja setiap hari sampai malam. Belajar dan bekerja tidak gampang!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/07July09Graduation

Nach der ersten Woche meiner Arbeit

2009-06-28T23:06:00.003+08:00

Die erste Woche bei der EDB ist schon vorbei und ich muss sagen dass ich es nicht erwartet hab, wie meine Arbeit aussehen wurde, bevor ich mit dem Job anfing. Die Aufforderungen bei der Arbeit sind so viel und man muss viel lernen. Und dann habe ich selbst herausgefunden, dass was ich in der Uni gelernt hab, sind alle Quatsch. Ich sollte mich nicht hier über den Job beschweren, denn die Informationen können vertraulich sein. Außerdem muss ich optimistisch sein, ganz gleich wie schwer die Arbeit ist. Damals als ich die Stelle abgenommen hab, musste ich das schon gewusst haben, dass die Arbeit natürlich mit Schwierigkeiten kommt. Ich muss in die richtige Stimmung kommen. Arbeit ist nie einfach, sonst nennt man " Arbeit " nicht. Ich bin kein Student mehr, und jetzt bin ich in einer anderen Welt.

Diese Welt funktioniert nicht wie die Welt als Student. Als Student können wir immer Fehler machen, so lange wir am Ende von ihnen lernen. Oder sonst schaffen wir die Klausuren nicht und bekommen wir schlechte Noten. Aber bei der Arbeit ist das ein total anderes Spiel. Ein Fehler und wir sind fertig. Es ist wirklich das ernst.

Heute habe ich Herrn Khoo getroffen. Natürlich habe ich mit ihm über meinen neuen Job geredet. Er hat gesagt das ich die Gelegenheiten viel greifen muss, bei der EDB zu lernen. Und dann ein Paar Jahre später bin ich in einer besseren Lage, in eine andere Industrie zu gehen. Er sah total aufgeregt aus, von meiner Arbeit zu hören. Aber er weißt auch, dass diese Arbeit kein einfacher Job ist.

Naja, obwohl es jetzt nicht so glatt läuft, muss ich mich beharrlich bemühen!

Erster Tag bei der Arbeit

2009-06-22T20:26:00.004+08:00

Eigentlich war heute gar nicht so schlecht. Die Aufgabe kommt noch nicht. Nicht so viel hat sich geändert aber was traurig ist, mein vorheriger Chef geht am Ende dieses Monates in Pension. nach dem Mittagsessen mit meiner Abteilung habe Ich kurz mit ihm in seinem Büro gesprochen. Ich denke ich werde ihn sehr vermissen, nachdem er weg ist. Ich muss ihm danken, weil ich mir sicher bin, dass er mir bei meiner Bewerbung um die Stelle geholfen hat. Auf jeden Fall hat er ein gutes Wort für mich eingelegt.

My Buddy ist auch interessant. Er sieht so wie ein Ahbeng aus, redet immer über Frauen und ist immer auf der Suche nach hübschen Frauen. Die Frauen sind auch freundlich, viel besser als die Studentinnen an der Uni. Ich denke es ist so weil wir alle Arbeiter sind und vielleicht wissen sie alle dass es keinen Nutzen bringt wenn sie zu unsozial sind. Ich kenne schon ein Paar von Ihnen von dem vorherigen Praktikum und sie haben mir den anderen Frauen vorgestellt. Meine gute Freundin, die ich seit 2001 von der JC kenne, bleibt noch vergnügt immer.

Ein guter Start für heute, aber gute Zeit dauert nicht lange. Das ist der Regel des Spieles.

Das letzte Wochenende als Student

2009-06-21T17:50:00.003+08:00

Morgen fang ich mit meiner Arbeit bei der EDB an. Das bedeutet, dass ich kein Student mehr bin und muss bald Steuern bezahlen, nachdem ich Lohn bekomme. Im letzten Semester habe ich mich bei meiner Bachelorarbeit immer beschwert, dass ich in der Zukunft niemals weiterbilden werde. Aber jetzt bin ich ein bisschen traurig. Ich weiß dass ich auch in der Zukunft keine lange Urlaube (wie 3 Monaten) mehr hab. Also für meine Arbeit bei der EDB bekomme ich in einem Jahr 18 Tage frei, und das ist alles. Bei uns ist das schon ziemlich zumutbar. Auf jeden Fall kann man das nicht mit der Situation in Europa vergleichen, weil die Leute pro Jahr 6 Wochen Urlaube haben.

Und wie habe ich mein letztes Wochenende verbracht? Natürlich hab ich viel gegessen und bin auch viel ausgangen:

Ich wollte eigentlich mehr Bilder hochladen und mehr über das Wochenede schreiben aber das Problem mit Blogspot ist dass es total Benutzterunfreundlich ist! Ich sollte mal überlegen ob ich ein anderes Blog benutzten sollte.... aber naja, nachdem ich beschäftigt mit meiner Arbeit bin, bin ich mir sicher dass ich gar keine Zeit ins Internet zu gehen.

Pearl of the orient - 東方之珠

2009-05-27T13:18:00.012+08:00

Although HK is not as far as Europe (still being in the same time zone as Singapore), I am still so tired after the trip. I guess its cuz we have been sleeping at 3am every night and waking up at 8am in the morning as well as those tiring climbs and walks especially at Lantau Island. Although it rained for most of the trip, I managed to get some nice pictures:

Lantau Island

Better known to Chinese as Da Yu Shan, this is the place where the highlight is of course the Big Buddha. We arrived at Tung Chung via MTR and took the cable car up to the Ngong Ping Village where the Big Buddha is closely located. Already on the cable car we could see the Big Buddha from a distance.

Although this is a tourist highlight, it was great to see that there were no touts around trying to tell your fortune or sell lottery tickets like in Singapore's Middle Road temple. The place is peaceful. Chang commented that coming to this kind of place where no one bugs you, he donate money also give until very song. Indeed we went to the extent of purchasing 3 Big joss sticks and 1 pack of normal joss sticks as offerings. What was funny however, was the way we saw those Europeans and Americans behave. Some thought the joss sticks were food, others even tried to pose standing beside the joss stick urn!

The Big Buddha

Po Lin Monastery - where we had our Vegetarian lunch, very good value for HK$60, you get 4 dishes of spring roll, toufu with corn, mushrooms and celery with carrots and unlimited rice. And the vegetarian luch was great and really filling. There is also a deluxe set meal for HK$100 but I am sure that the HK$60 is filling enough.

After lunch we went to the wisdom path, where we saw blocks of wood, on which were Chinese proverbs carved. Frankly I did not understand most of what those carvings were except the more common ones like 空不亦色色不亦空.

We then went back to the Big Buddha to take a bus to Tai O village, sometimes known to the Ang Mos as Venice of the East. However, it was no longer Venice, perhaps only this part resembles Venice. Much of the place has undergone development. But the villagers still make their livelihood by selling seafood which they got from the sea. I bought a packet of big scallops and fish maw for HKD$300, which was very value for money in my opinion. One of my friend bought 2 jars of sauce, shrimp paste and XO paste, which tasted damn good. My only regret here is that I did not buy enough dried seafood back to Singapore.

Near Tai O village is this temple called the Kuen Yeung Temple. It is impossible to see the temple along the main road even though this pagoda is perched high up on the hill. The bus driver had to stop and tell us we are here and we had to find our way up myself. The gradient was damn steep and reminded me of the days in Weinheim where I climbed like mad to reach the destroyed fortress. But this temple is really worth a visit because 1) there are NO tourists at all, most of the tourists would come to the Big Buddha and leave after that; the more adventerous ones would go to Tai O village, but that's it. 2) at the top of the pagoda is a hall where the walls are beautifully decorated with thousands of buddha faces. And from the pagoda you could actually get a great view of the seas and the surrounding islands.

Lantau Island is actually a great place and one whole day can be easily spent there. Moreover, there is a shopping centre called Citygate which houses factory outlets like Espirit, CK, Levis, Adidas.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/LantauIslandAndTaiOVillage22May09

On the streets of HK

During the time I was at HK I stayed in a hotel at Yau Ma Tei (油麻地), which is very near the main shopping areas of Kowloon, as well as the de-facto red light area of Mong Kok (旺角). As a result its very common to see shoppers even past midnight where the shops slowly start to close. Even though it was raining most of the time, people were still shopping. Once night falls, the streets are transformed into a galore of lighting as the neon lights (mainly from pubs, KTVs and saunas) flashes. The long main road which connects the area of Tshim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀), Jordan (佐敦), 油麻地 and 旺角 is called Nathan Road (彌敦道) .

In the day the buildings in this area resembles those like in Chinatown in Singapore, grey, old, musty buildings.

Nathan Road at night, around 11+pm, where the street is still full of traffic and people. Hong Kong is really a city that never sleeps!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/StreetsOfHK2124May09

Symphony of lights

It is a must to watch the Symphony of Lights at 8pm at the harbour. This is because 1) it is free, 2) it is simply a must see!

My attempt at taking a panoramic shot of the harbour. And I am quite happy with the result actually.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/SymphonyOfLights22May09

Food in HK

Although much of the food in HK can also be found in Singapore, however the food there tastes much much better and the serving is of a bigger portion at prices which are only slightly more expensive than Singapore - eat already also song!

杨枝甘捞 (Mango Pudding with Sago and Pomelo) from 许留山. According to my friend, 许留山 is the most popular brand in Asia for Chinese deserts such as 杨枝甘捞. The serving is huge, the price is reasonsable - 30 HKD.

Traditional breakfast of 菠萝油（pineapple bun with butter) and 鸳鸯(coffee mixed with tea). The HK cafes in Singapore can't beat those authentic coffeshops there.
Even the crappy street food like the one above which we had for our first night dinner was great. HKD$120 for a whole plate of steamboat ingredients.

And of course, the best place to eat dim sum is in HK itself. We had dim sum at Serenade Restaurant which was facing the skyline on HK island, totally enjoyable if not for the mist and fog that day. However the dim sum was great and I loved the 糯米鸡 (Lo Mai Kai) of all. My only regret is that I did not try the Cha Siew Bao! Damn it! But I am sure I will return again to eat the dim sum all over again. Its really a classic place to eat because there are no tourists there and no stupid ang mos who haven got a clue on what they should eat, the menus are all in Chinese and its really those authentic traditional dim sum where the aunties go around pushing carts and crying out the dishes that they are pushing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/Food2125May09

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

This is also another tourist magnet but its worth going once in your live to see the wax figures. What is more interesting is that most of the wax models there are of Asian figures, 1/2 of them leaving those ignorant Ang Mos clueless about who the heck people like Leo Ku, Twins, or even Mao Zedong or our own godfather Lee are. As a result, you could see all the Ang Mos whizzing past the Asian figures and complaining that the displays are boring. Come on, its not all about Obama or Princess Diana isnt it? This is Madame Tussauds HK, its Asia wake up your idea.

Brad Pitt looked kinda stern here.

Teresa Teng
E≠MC2 Der Diktator des dritten Reiches.

Damn, he is so damn tall.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/WaxMuseum24May09

The Peak

The Peak is also another tourist magnet that is combined together with a visit to the wax museum located in the Peak Galleria. However get an unobstructed view of the city skyline from the side of Hong Kong, one must pay extra HKD$20 I think, to enter the Peak Sky Terrance. However there is a better and heathier option, which is to take a 1 hour walk along Lugard road known as the Hong Kong Trail, where we can get equally good views of the city for free.

Moreover, it was a great decision not to pay to enter the Peak Sky Terrance, because in terms of elevation its higher than along Lugard Road, but then it was so foggy that day and I bet those people up the Sky Terrance can't see anything from there! At least from Lugard Road we could still see something:

Top: Evening time, around 6pm. Bottom: About 8pm.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/Peak24May09

HK Paparazzi in Action

On the last day of the trip we initially wanted to go to Sha Tin (沙田）to visit the 10000 Buddhas Monastery and then round up the trip with BBQ pigeon at Lung Wah nearby. However it was raining cats and dogs and we ended up shopping at 尖沙咀and 铜锣湾instead. It was at Times Square at 铜锣湾 that we saw first eye how aggressive the HK Paparazzi can be. There was event going on there, which is to award commercials in HK, and the spokespeople for these commercials, notably HK actresses, were also there. And of course, the moment those actresses turned up, the photographers wasted no time in snapping pictures, and as the posed behind the event board below, the photographers were shoutting to them to turn to their direction so that they could take more picutres ... 左边右边左边右边左边右边左边右边. And to my surprise the actress listened to them like an obidient kid, failing to do so would most likely result in some bad press a few days later.

And it was a blessing in disguise that it rained because I caught sight of my favourite actress in purple above. Her name is Leung Ka Kei (梁嘉琪) and she acted as a policewoman in the TVB drama EU (see below), which is one of my most favourite dramas that I caught before coming to HK.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/HKPaparazziInAction25May09

All in all, HK was a great trip, minus the rain. Moreover on the 3rd day we crossed over to the border to Shenzhen for some great massage and spa, with unlimited helping of fruits, icecream and drinks all for only 187 Yuan. That's only about $40! And you get treated like a king there.

HK is a place which I would want to return again, because there are some parts of HK, most notably on HK island as well as Lamma Island which I have not been to yet. At the same time it will be great to go to Tai O and stock up on some dried seafood again. Moreover the service there is wonderful, the sales staff are professional and go the extra mile to help you with your requests and needs. And of course, the girls on the streets are much better looking than those in Singapore. I don't know why most people say HK is sian but to me that's not true at least, if you combine a trip of HK with Shenzhen and go at the right time where there are sales and the weather is great, then it's a worthy trip going again. But right now the next place on my mind is to go to Bangkok again, which the last time I visited was 11 years ago.

Die letzte Klausur meines Uni-Studiums

2009-05-04T02:14:00.003+08:00

In weniger als 24 Stunden lege ich meine letzte Klausur - Finanzwirtschaft ab. Nach dieser Klausur mache ich Abschluss, aber nur wenn ich alle Lehrveranstaltungen in diesem Semester bestehen habe.

Ich muss sagen, außer meiner Bachelorarbeit läuft alles nach Plan. Ich habe schon eine Stelle bei der EDB gefunden, außerdem habe ich auch Abends und Wochenende ein Paar Nebenjobs als Nachhilfer für Schüler bekommen, die am Ende dieses Jahres Econs zum A Levels schreiben. 2007 habe ich aufgehört, Nachhilfe zu geben weil ich gar keine Zeit hab. Das war schade, denn ich habe ziemlich viel Angebot gekriegt aber leider muss ich sie ablehnen. Deswegen gibt es zwischen 2007 und 2009 eine Lücke. Das heißt als ich in der letzten 3 Wochen erst nach Schülern suchte, habe ich Schwierigkeit bekommen. Aber zum Glück habe ich beim Laufen im Stadion Herrn Khoo getroffen und er hat sofort seiner Schülerin mich empfohlen. Dann hat seine Schülerin noch ihre Freundin gefragt ob sie Nachhilfe will. Deswegen bekomme ich plötzlich 2 Schülerinnen. Und dann letzte Woche habe ich meine Email gelesen, dass es jemanden gibt, der in der Nähe vom Mindsville wohnt, und er braucht auch Nachhilfe. Ich habe mich sofort darum beworben und habe auch diesen Job bekommen. Jetzt bin ich Samstags total beschäftigt. Und noch vor 2 Tagen habe ich auch im Nineo (ein NUS Internet Portal) gesehen, dass eine Frau für ihre 2 Söhne Nachhilfer zum Econs sucht. Ich habe auch meinen Lebenslauf geschickt und heute hat die Frau mich angerufen und sie hoffe dass ich am Dienstag bei ihr vorbeikomme. So bis jetzt habe ich 4 Schüler unter mir. Obwohl ich mir sicher bin, dass ich müder als vorher sein werde, freue ich mich darauf, dass ich nach der Klausur etwas tun kann.

Eigentlich lehre ich ziemlich sehr, vom 2003 bis 2007 habe ich Nachhilfe gegeben und alle Schüler haben sehr gute Noten zum Econs bekommen und bis heute bleiben wir im Kontakt. Manche von ihnen studiere jetzt auch an der NUS. Aber ich habe Angst sollte ich vollzeit Lehrer in Singapur werden. In Singapur ist die Situation so, wenn man Lehrer wird, dann ist man wahrscheinlich die Reste seines Lebens Lehrer. Das heißt es ist schwierig, einen anderen Job zu finden nachdem man Lehrer ist. Außerdem muss man zuerst Erziehungswissenschaft an der NIE studieren bevor man Lehrer werden darf. Dieser Studiengang dauert ein Jahr, und danach gibt es 2 oder 3 Jahre Vertrag beim MOE. Deswegen bleiben die meisten noch als Lehrer nachdem der Vertrag vorbei ist.

Naja... vielleicht werde ich nach ein Paar Jahre Lehrer... wer weißt? Aber jetzt bin ich zufrieden. Ich habe einen Job sowie ein Paar Nebenjobs. Ich kann auch einen Urlaub machen bevor ich mit meiner Arbeit anfange und ich freue mich auf Hongkong.

Ende der Bachelorarbeit

2009-04-07T14:30:00.003+08:00

Endlich habe ich am 6. April 2009 meine Bachelorarbeit beim Büro der VWL-Abteilung eingereicht. Ehrlich muss ich sagen dass ich der Meinung bin, dass ich meine Arbeit sehr schlecht finde. Ich weiß nicht was ich für eine Note bekomme aber hohe Erwartungen habe ich nicht. Jetzt habe ich in der ersten Woche Mai noch 2 Klausuren und dann bin ich endlich fertig mit dem Bachelorstudium an der NUS. 4 Jahre sind endlich vorbei.

In den ersten 3 Jahren habe ich immer gedacht dass ich nicht fleißig genug bin, obwohl meine Noten echt gut sind. Was komisch ist, nach dem Austausch in Mannheim finde ich dass ich in den ersten 3 Jahren bevor ich nach Deutschland ging mehr spielen sollen hätte. Deswegen habe ich im letzten Jahr meines Studiums relativ nicht so viel gearbeitet. Und auch bin ich nicht im Panik wenn ich beim Lernen Probleme habe. Wie gesagt, vorher wenn ich Probleme hab, als ich meine Hausaufgaben schrieb, bin ich immer entschlossen, die Lösungen zu finden. Aber ich habe beobachtet, es ist nicht so für meine Stufe 4 Lehrveranstaltungen. Vielleicht lernt man wirklich zu viel im vierten Jahr, deswegen wenn wir etwas nicht verstehen, dann lassen wir das so. Zum Beispiel habe ich morgen Tutorium aber die Probleme habe ich noch nicht gelöst. Das ist in der Vergangenheit mir nicht passiert. Sowieso sehen die Fragen so schwer aus, obwohl ich gestern den ganzen Tag in der Bibliothek das ganze Kapitel wieder gelesen habe.

Ich frage mich immer ob es der Mühe wert ist, an der Uni fleißig zu sein. Ich bin mir sicher, 5 Jahre nach dem Abschluss werde ich schon alles verlernen. Oder schneller, ein Semester ist schon genug Zeit, alles zu verlernen. Gestern hab ich mit meiner Freundin ihre Übung für Statistik diskutiert und dabei habe ich auf Schwierigkeiten gestoßen, weil ich alles vergessen habe. Ich hab das vor 3 Jahren an der Uni gelernt, als ich noch Erstsemester war. Oder vor 7 Jahren als ich noch Schüler in der Oberschule war. Ich finde das sinnlos dass die meisten Studendten so fleißig für der Vorbereitung auf die Klasuren sind und danach verlernen wir alles sofort.

Naja, ich hoffe dass meine letzten 2 Klausuren kurz und schmerzlos sind. Es ist auch eine gute Zeit von der NUS abzuhauen weil ich keine Lust und kein Interesse an meinem Studium habe.

Ich muss einkaufen gehen

2009-03-29T16:21:00.010+08:00

Ich sollte mal in die Stadt einkaufen gehen. Ich habe gerade aufgeräumt und habe ein Paar Gutscheine gefunden, und der Beträge sind eigentlich ziemlich viel: $100 Takashimaya Gutscheine, $30 Borders (das habe ich im Jahr 2001 für den besten Schüler im Bereich Econs bekommen) und gestern habe ich noch beim Captainball $10 Times Buchgutscheine gekriegt, weil unser Team Gewinner des zweiten Platzes war. Ich hoffe dass der Gutschein von Borders noch gültig ist! Schade dass die Gutscheine gar keine Zinsen bekommen. Sonst kann ich jetzt ein bisschen mehr von Borders kaufen. Ein jährlicher Zinssatz von etwas 2% bedeutet dass der Gutschein von Borders jetzt $35 statt $30 wenn es keine Zinsen verdient. Naja, das ist trotzdem nicht so viel. $5 kaufe ich vielleicht nur noch eine Zeitschrift

Obwohl ich sagen muss dass die Gutscheine nicht so wertvoll sind (weil die Dinge bei Taka und Times sehr teuer sind), freue ich mich trotzdem darauf, in die Stadt zu gehen. Ich bin schon sehr lange nicht in die Stadt gefahren, im Besonderen am Wochenende. Das mache ich erst nach der letzten Klausur von der NUS. Findest du das traurig? Die meisten meiner Freunde machen jetzt Reisepläne nach diesem Semester, im Mai oder Juni. Viele von ihnen wollen nach Europa für ihre Abschlussreise gehen und habe mich gefragt ob ich mitkommen will. Natürlich will ich, aber das Geld reicht nicht! Ich weiß, dass es ein Paar Studenten gibt, die von ihren Eltern das Geld leihen, damit die eine Abschlussreise machen können. Auf jeden Fall will ich das nicht machen.

Gestern war ich auch im Einkaufsszentrum an der CCK Mrt Station. Das Einkaufszentrum ist neu renoviert worden und es hat jetzt eine neue Ecke mit mehr Geschäften. Diese Einkaufszentrum wurde im Jahr 1997 erstmals geöffnet. Damals war ich noch 14 und jetzt sieht das Einkaufszentrum ziemlich anders aus. Ich wollte eigentlich ein Paar Schuhe für die meine neue Arbeit im Juni kaufen, aber es gab so viele Leute, weil es ein Angebot gab. Dort habe ich auch Herrn Khoo getroffen, der mich in Econs in der Oberschule unterricht hat. Der hat auch gesagt dass die Wirtschaft in diesem Jahr total schrecklich ist und er erwartet, dass er am Ende dieses Jahres keinen Jahresbonus bekommt. Was für eine schreckliche Wirtschaft!

Erstes Mal beim Schnee

2009-03-20T21:36:00.004+08:00

Genau vor einem Jahr hatte ich die erste Schneeerfahrung meines Lebens. Das war während der Osterferien, die gibt es überhaupt nicht in Singapur (sowie Schnee) und ich war in Füssen. Obwohl 6 Wochen nachdem ich gelandet bin schon vorbei waren, hatte ich bisher gar keinen Schnee erlebt. Vorgestern hab ich noch mal die Fotos von Füssen geguckt und natürlich kamen die schönen Erinnerungen wieder auf mich zu.

Ich bin mir sicher, dass ich dich dahin bringen will. 5 Jahre, hab ich dir gesagt. Und wir werden das machen. Ich will dass du genauso vor den Bergen stehst, genauso wo ich stand und das Bild gemacht hab:

Und wir werden zusammen ins Schloß gehen. Ich war noch nie drin, und das können wir gerne zusammen machen. Ich will dir zeigen, wo man dieses Bild von dem Schloß machen kann, weil nicht so viele Leute diesen Ort kennen.

Und obwohl ich nicht weiß, wie lang dieser Fußweg ist, oder wozu der Fußweg uns führt, bin ich mir sicher, dass ich zusammen mit dir auf diesem Fußweg laufen will.

Viel Glück für den Test, der am Montag stattfindet!

Die letzten 6 Wochen als Student

2009-03-15T00:42:00.012+08:00

Eigentlich sollte ich jetzt an meiner Bachelorarbeit arbeiten aber ich hab wirklich gar keine Lust. Ich bin immer der Meinung dass es nicht der Mühe wert ist. Und das ist schlimm. Heute hab ich mit Pauline über das letzte Semester geredet, und wir freuen uns sehr auf den Studiumabschluss. Sie hat auch gesagt dass es ihr wirklich genug ist. Ebenfalls hab ich auch genug von der Uni. Seit letztem August frage ich mich immer, was ich eigentlich an der NUS mache. Alles sah so fremd aus. Meine guten Freunde sind schon weg von der Uni. Die anderen sind aber nur im Prinzip, Kommilitonen. Was vielleicht ironisch ist, ist dass. wir uns überhaupt nicht gut kennen, zum Beispiel, wir haben uns NIEMALS gesprochen, aber wir wissen wie hoch die CAP von jedem stehen. Außerdem kann Freundschaft im vierten Jahr als eine praktische geschäftliche Transaktion gesehen wird, im Besonderen wenn man Lösungen für die Hausaufgabe braucht. Das ist die Wirklichkeit des Lebens im vierten Jahr. Ich hoffe, dass ich später meine Arbeitsleben viel besser finde. Aber diese Hoffnung hab ich nicht.

Deswegen hab ich eine Überraschung bekommen, als ich von meiner Schwester gehört hab, dass sie sich auch für den VWL-Studiengang interessiert. Ich denke, es wird ihr zu schwierig sein. Und weil sie zu einfach Stress bekommt, ist VWL kein guter Studiengang für sie. Ihre Noten für das Abitur ist schon nicht so schlecht. Viel besser als erwartet. Und falls sie wirklich einen Platz an der Uni bekommt, muss sie den Studiengang ganz vorsichtig wählen. Es handelt sich um ihr Leben in den nächsten 3 Jahren! Vor 6 Jahren habe ich auch gedacht, dass ich in VWL total verliebt bin. Aber das Problem ist, es gibt einen großen Abstand zwischen VWL zum Abi und VWL an der Uni.

Pauline ist der Meinung dass es schwer ist, gute Freunde von der gleichen Studiengang zu machen. Damit bin ich einverstanden. Was aber lustig ist, ist dass sie auch VWL im Hauptfach studiert, wie ich. Aber klar, wir haben uns nicht bei einer VWL-Vorlesung kennengelernt. Ich frag mich, wie viele VWLer nach dem Abschluss im Kontakt bleiben werden? Ich denke, vielleicht sehr sehr wenig. Das finde ich ziemlich traurig. Ich muss mich mit dieser Tatsache abfinden. Aber ich bin mir sicher, zumindest werde ich mich regelmäßig mit Pauline treffen.

Ich glaube, es ist nicht so viel dass ich in diesem Semester machen kann. Ich kann nur warten, und warten. Ich will so gerne dieses Kapitel meines Lebens abschließen, und mit ein neues anfangen. Das Ausbildungssystem und die Universitäten in Singapur machen uns verrückt. Wirklich. Kein Wunder dass 2 Leute von der NTU in den letzten Tagen tot sind.

Die Zeit vergeht wie im Flug

2009-02-21T01:59:00.003+08:00

Heute war ich während der Zwischenpause in der Unibuchhandlung. Ich hab nicht gewusst, wieso ich dahin gegangen bin. Davon habe ich nichts gebraucht. Ich wollte eigentlich in der UB etwas Readings lesen, aber dann bin ich müde. Als ich in der Abteilung für Fachbücher war, hab ich auch das aktuelle Fachbuch zum Deutsch 2 kurz gelesen. Damals habe ich ein anderes Fachbuch für Deutsch 2 benutzt, als ich einer der Kursteilnehmer war. Obwohl die Inhalte des Buches sehr einfach aussehen, bin ich mir sicher, dass das Niveau ein bisschen schwieriger als das letzte Fachbuch (bei meinem Deutsch 2 Sprachkurs) ist. Ich hab das Gefühl dass man jetzt im Deutsch 2 mehr als vorher lernt. Wenn ich jetzt ein Student im Deutsch 2 wäre, denke ich dass ich den Kurs sehr schwierig finden würde.

Ich weiß nicht, ob das gut für die Studenten ist. Vielleicht denken die Dozenten dass man in der Vergangenheit zu wenig gelernt hat. Was man in der Vergangenheit gelernt hat (bis Deutsch 4 oder GAP), ist vielleicht unzureichend wenn man ernst in Deutschland eine Lehrveranstaltung auf Deutsch besuchen will. Oder vielleicht haben die Dozenten andere Gründe, ein anderes Fachbuch zu benutzten. Natürlich bin ich in keiner guten Lage zu kommentieren. Aber ich bin der Meinung, dass man mehr Zeit, mehr Übungen und nicht neue Inhalte (im Besonderen neue Grammatik) braucht, um sich zu verbessern. Aber ich muss auch sagen, auf jeden Fall hat jeder Mensch beim effektiven Lernen verschiedene Strategien. Vielleicht passt das neue Fachbuch den Studenten besser.

Kürzlich habe ich auch mit den anderen viel über das Bildungssytem an der NUS gesprochen. Tomoo ist der Meinung dass man an der NUS nicht nur an Ergebnisse denken sollte. Aber er hat auch zugegeben, dass es ein Problem mit nicht nur der Uni, sondern der singapurischen Gesellschaft. Es macht das Leben total traurig und schmerzvoll, wenn man immer denkt, wie man bessere Noten bekommen kann. Ich bin mir sicher dass einige Leute jetzt sofort erwidern werden, es ist mir leicht zu sagen, weil ich fast schon erreichen habe, was ich will.

Die Zeit vergeht wie im Flug. Ich kann mich noch klar erinnern, wie ich fast jede Nacht viel für Deutsch gelernt hab. Gestern nach dem Abendessen als ich mit meiner Freundin auf dem Fußweg war, sind 3 Studentinnen an uns vorbeigegangen. Eine hat bemerkt, dass sie noch 6 Woche als Studentin hat. Das bedeutet dass sie nach diesem Semester Abschluß macht. Ich auch. So schnell sind 8 Semester schon vorbei.

Und das gilt auch für Maren. Am Sonntag fliegt sie ab. Sie hat 6 Monate als Praktikantin in Singapur verbracht, und vorher war sie noch nie in Singapur oder in Asien. Ich hoffe dass sie viel über Asien gelernt hat. Und was wichtig ist, dass nach dem Aufenthalt hier sie nicht wie " der typische Europäer " denkt.

Ein Jahr voller Pech?

2009-02-19T00:58:00.003+08:00

Ich war mit meinen Kommilitonen aus dem gleichen Studiengang beim Abendessen. Die Stimmung war überhaupt nicht gut. Die meisten beschweren sich über die schreckliche Wirtschaft, die sich auf ihre Arbeitssuche auswirkt. Die haben zu so vielen Personalabteilungen bei verschiedenen Firmen ihre Lebensläufe geschickt aber so wenige Antwort bekommen. Und die meisten Antworten sind, wie erwartet, Standardablehnungen. Ein Paar von ihnen haben sich auch schon entschieden, dass sie Masters in VWL an der NUS machen wollen. Und auch haben sie sich dafür angemeldet. Die andere Gruppe sind Studenten, deren gesammelten CAP zurzeit weniger als 4.0 sind, oder deren Noten gleich an der Grenze stehen. Dieses Semester ist für sie das ausschlaggebende Semester.

Vor einer Woche war ich wegen meiner Bachelorarbeit im Stress. Weil ich das Gefühl hab, dass das Endprodukt keine gute Ergebnisse zeitigt. Und der Stress hat sich auch auf meine Freundin ausgewirkt. Jetzt denke ich, wie schlecht meine Situation ist, wenn ich mit den anderen vergleiche? Ich hab schon einen Job gefunden, und heute hab ich auch die ärztliche Untersuchung gemacht. Jetzt steht der Job fest, zumindest für die nächste 6 Monate (weil die erste 6 Monate ich auf Probe bin).

Üblicherweise glaube ich nicht an Glück, nur an harte Arbeit. Aber ich hab das Gefühl dass ich viel Glück im Jahr 2009 (oder noch weiter) brauche. Zuerst muss ich sagen dass ich nicht so viel bei der Arbeitssuche getan hab. Deswegen muss ich mich glücklich schätzen. Dann vielleicht war das auch gut, dass ich in den vorangegangenen Semestern relativ fleißig war. Und jetzt bin ich nicht über meine Noten für dieses Semester besorgt (außer der Bachelorarbeit, aber das kann ich nicht beeinflussen).

Heute hat mein Dozent in der Vorlesung etwas gesagt, dass ich sehr nachdenklich stimmend gefunden habe. Er sagte, dass die meisten ausgebildeten Leute eine sehr negative Perspektive zum Risiko haben. Bei ausgebildet meinte er, dass man studiert (in einer Uni) hat. Deswegen hat man ganz hohe Alternativkosten. Die anderen, die vielleicht nach der Sekundarschule mit 16 schon aufgehört haben, haben schon vor langer Zeit angefangen zu arbeiten. Deshalb wenn diese Gruppe von Leuten in der Gesellschaft monetär erfolgreich sind, sind sie viel viel mehr erfolgreicher als wir Uni-Studenten. Weil sie mit nichts anfingen, und endlich haben sie ein Empire aufgebaut.

Ist es der Mühe wert, an die Uni zu gehen? Wenn man gute Noten an der Uni will, muss man wie ein Rind schuften. Wäre es besser, wenn man stattdessen in der Gesellschaft schuften? Als Kinder haben viele unserer Eltern uns gesagt, dass wir fleißig sein müssen. Sonst haben wir später keine gute Zukunft. Ich weiß nicht, wie wahr das eigentlich ist. Zumindest bin ich mir sicher, in dieser Zeit braucht man nicht nur gute Noten, wenn man eine Arbeitsstelle bekommen will.

Innerhalb zwei Wochen

2009-02-16T11:08:00.009+08:00

Eigentlich sollte ich dich um 7 Uhr, wie am jeden Tag, aufwecken. Aber heute habe ich verschlafen! Zum Glück hast du mir um 7 Uhr eine SMS geschrieben, die ich erst lies nachdem ich endlich meine Augen aufgemacht habe.

Innerhalb zwei Wochen war ich schon 2 Mal an der UCC. Ich fand es komish, weil das letzte Mal, dass ich da war, war im Jahr 2002 vor meiner Immatrikulation. Und in den letzten 3 Jahren als Student während meines Studiums an der NUS habe ich gedacht dass ich nie in die UCC eintreten werde, und das einzige Mal, dass ich da sein werde, wird nur im Juli 2009 stattfinden wenn ich Abschlussfeier mache. Darauf kann ich nicht warten!

Aber dann war ich schon in den letzten 2 Wochen an der UCC. Wegen der Veranstaltungen? Also wenn ihr mich gut kennt, dann seid ihr euch ganz sicher dass ich mich für diese Dinge an der Uni nicht interessiere. Das gilt auch für die meisten Singapurer, glaube ich. Aber trotzdem war ich dabei. Die erste Aufführung heißt International Students Night, aber was ich lustig gefunden hab, dass alle Aufführungen von asiatischen Studenten kommen. Und eine große Anzahl von Indien. Ich finde das schade. Was machen die europäischen Austauschstudenten? Ok, vielleicht ist das nicht fair, Austauschstudenten mit der Veranstaltung zu beschäftigen. Ich muss aber ehrlich sagen, dass außer den Austauschstudenten von Europa oder USA, machen so wenige von Ihnen in Singapur Vollzeitstudium. Die blieben ein Semester in Singapur, sind aber fast jede Woche unterwegs und nach einem Semester hauen sie ab. Die sagen dass die hier sind, weil die NUS einen guten Ruf in Asien hat und mit dieser Tatsache werden ihre Lebensläufe besser aussehen wenn es die 3 Buchstaben NUS auf ihren Leubensläufen stehen, egal was sie hier machen oder was für Noten sie am Ende des Semesters bekommen. Praktisch? Persönlich finde ich es wirklich schade. Sehr schade. Die NUS braucht eine größere globale Präsenz, sodass die einzige Auslandsstudenten nicht nur aus Asien (oder nur aus den 2 offentsichtlichen größen Ländern) kommen.

Die andere Veranstaltung, bei der ich gestern anwesend war, habe ich viel besser gefunden. Obwohl die Tickets teuer sind. Es war eine Nacht voller Talent. Ich muss sagen dass die Darsteller und Darstellerinnen so viel Mut haben. Und es ist wirklich sehr schwierig, gute Liedtexte zu schreiben, die mit den Melodien gut passen. Man braucht nicht nur Inspiration, sondern auch ein gutes Musikgefühl. Die sind die wirkliche kluge Leute! Was immer schade ist, dass wenn es einen Wettbewerb gibt, muss man Sieger wählen. Aber ich bin der Meinung, dass alle Teilnehmer Sieger sind, wenn man mit Lieb und Seele eine Aufgabe erfüllen.

"Ich weiß nicht von dir, aber ich hatte an dem Wochenende Spaß." Es war eines der letzten wenigen Wörter von letztem Abend. Obwohl du vielleicht nicht ganz genau verstehst was ich hier schreibst, würde ich auch gern sagen dass das Wochenende schön war!

Ein Jahr davor

2009-02-06T05:16:00.004+08:00

Der Malcom hat mir gerade durch MSN eine Nachricht geschickt. Es war schon halb 2 bei mir, aber in Deutschland war noch Abends halb 6. Trotzdem bin ich mir sicher, dass es um halb 6 in Deutschland schon dunkel ist.

In den letzten Tagen habe ich versucht zu erinnern, was ich genauso vor einem Jahr am gleichen Tag gemacht hab. Mit den Fotos, die ich vor einem Jahr gemacht hab, ist das kinderleicht. Ich konnte mich noch erinnern, diese Woche letztes Jahres war eine erste Woche in Mannheim. Die Vorlesungen hat noch nicht angefangen und wir haben gerade unsere Semestertickets vom Auslandsamt bekommen. Deswegen konnten wir die Stadt und die Umgebung kennenlernen. Mannheim war doch langweilig, und bleibt noch so! Aber es gibt viele Städte in der nähe von Mannheim, in der es viele Sehenswürdigkeiten gibt. Und mit dem Semesterticket kostet das überhaupt gar nicht. Einfach in einen Zug (außer IC oder ICE natürlich) einsteigen.

Also das war letztes Jahr. Seitdem ich im letzten August wieder zurück bin, denke ich ganz oft noch an die Zeit in Deutschland. Ich hab gerade den Wetterbericht für Städte in Europa geguckt, in denen ich schon Mal war. Ich interessiere mich fürs aktualle Wetter jetzt in Deutschland. Und wie erwartet, die Temperatur steht bei 0 bis 7 grad. Vielleicht denkst du jetzt, dass diese Jahrzeit in Deutschland sehr dunkel und traurig ist. Aber das ist eigentlich falsch. Ich hab gerade meine Fotos von der ersten Woche in Mannheim gesehen, und es gab noch Sonnenlicht. Findest du das komisch? Obwohl die Sonnenlicht ganz stark ist, müssen wir noch Winterjacketen anziehen. Für Leute aus exotischen Ländern ist das ziemlich schwer zu glauben, wie kalt das Wetter trotz des starken Sonnenlicht kann sein.

Naja, ich meine, was in der Vergangenheit ist, ist jetzt aber eine schöne Erinnerung. Ich sollte jetzt ins Bett gehen, weil ein langer Tag auf mich wartet. Ich gehe heute Abend nach meiner Vorlesung mit meiner wunderbaren Freundin auf eine Veranstaltung an der Uni und freue mich riesig.

Joining a new organisation

2009-02-03T20:42:00.005+08:00

I met up with a lot of nice people today at 1 go. It was great to be able to have lunch with Janice again today. She is probably one of the nicest econs friends that I know. But of course we did first know each other typically in school, which is probably why we hit it off so well. In fact we have never taken any econs modules together. And then she said that whenever she talks to me it will be more like telling me how sad her life is. Actually I did not mind listening to them because it gave me some space to think about my current situation as well. I also saw the ever chirpy Ming jie whom I knew since JC. She is still petite and chirpy as ever! Its kinda nice to know some nice people who are working in the same organisation but yet we did not know one another as colleagues.

I finally had the chance to talk to my old boss again, twice after I went back to EDB and he was on leave or away. I remember the first time I saw his profile was during the morning of my first day reporting to the organisation as an intern. All of us interns were in the meeting room configuring our laptops with the technical guy, and we were told to check out our reporting superiors. Excitedly we searched for our superiors' profiles. I remember all of the other interns had superiors that did not look so stern and so old. They were probably at most, 5 years older than them. My heart sank when I saw my boss's photo. He looked older than my father and looked real fierce in the photo.

It was not only until afternoon that day that I first saw him, because he had meetings. I was kind of scared to talk to him, and tended to be very cautious, especially whenever he call me into his office.

My initial reservations were soon overcome and I realised that he's actually a very chatty and funny guy and I grew to respect and like him a lot. And he also took great care of me as well, to an extent that other people did not dare bug me. I grew to like the department I was placed into although it is not as vibrant as the other departments other interns were posted to, meaning the staff in my department were mostly very senior staff, some old enough to be my parents. Although they were junior officers, however I had much to learn from them in terms of experience and age. One of them even passed me a winter jacket for my SEP in Germany, saying that the weather there is very cold and I need it. And also Millie who was also in that department is very approachable and does not act like the typical elitist overseas scholar.

Today I went down again and went to the old man's office looking for him for some talk cock session, one of the things I really missed from the internship. The first thing he said when he saw me was that "为什么你跑去 RDD 没有来 RSU? !" And then I learnt that he's actually going to retire this year on 2 July because this is the day he will officially hit 62. Then some of the other aunties heard me in his office, they tried to peep inside and see what's going on. And he said to them "要看就敢敢进来!"

It was a great 1 hour conversation with him. Like the good old days where he's call me into his room and complain how he kena fined for illegal parking the day before, saying that he has been maligned and the parking aunty was out to catch him. I learnt from him today that actually HR went to ask him about his comments about myself because I used to work under him and he's probably the best man to comment about my fit with the organisation. I also learnt that he's currently relearning Japanese in order to make his brains work, and he even showed me the notes that he took at the classes. He too admit that its an evitable process that we will all age some day.

The only pity I have is that he's actually one of the people whom I look forward to eating lunch together when I start work. However, it won't be long before he has to retire.

A colourful night out

2009-02-02T21:32:00.007+08:00

I am usually not an enthusiastic fan of Chingay. I'd prefer River Hongbao more. However this year since Chingay and River Hongbao falls on the same day, and since I had company who was dressed with colourful stripes to the occasion too, it was a great chance to have a look at both.

My friend told me that there were actually floats from NUS EH and KRH who were participating in Chingay. Obviously I was not so aware of it, because such emails would automatically go into my NUS trash bin without reading them.

And so these 2 floats (the one above and below) actually belonged to NUS

We suspected that EH and KRH had started preparing for the floats a long time ago, because their theme were very Christmas-like! Which does not match the whole idea of Chingay at all.

And our conclusion is that NUS is really damn kiasu. It seems to be the only organisation that sent in two floats!

The joke of Singapore - the Singapore Flyer that broke down

I guess everyone here forgot for a moment that our country is in a recession.

Besides NUS, there were some other floats which beat NUS hands down. In my opinion, the floats that were more beautiful were actually the ones with simple designs, which you could make out immediately what they were, like the two of them below:

And it is also the first time that River Hongbao was being staged in the floating stadium. I found this year's theme to be not bad. I liked the main entrance especially. It reminds me especially of those brothels in olden times where you see red lanterns and those gu niang would wave their hankies at guys walking past and they would go " 大爷，近来玩玩吧！你好久没上我们这儿了！我们的小花好想念你!"

Too bad there were no such ladies that night. What a pity or else it would have been....... heh heh

Cai Shen Ye is feeling lonely again. You know what I mean

I found this side of the display the most beautiful, it seems like a world of its own. Unfortunately the construction work of the integrated casino resort at the background spoit the whole picture.

In all it was a great night out and the photos turned out beautiful. I was glad that we went up to Esplanade roof terrence so that we could get a good glimpse of the Chingay floats. The only regret was that we were a step too late and missed not only the firecrackers released at River Hongbao but also the fireworks released at Chingay's main stage at the Padang!

Ein zufälliger und komischer Traum

2009-01-30T09:09:00.009+08:00

A (very random and weird) dream

I remember telling a close friend of mine not long ago, that the best way to remember a dream is to write it down immediately. However, by remembering a dream, the dream will not come true in real life.

This semester has been rather routined, trying to wake up at 7am and then back to bed for 1 or 2 hours again. I remember waking up at 7am today, and after looking at my handphone and sending SMSes, I went back to sleep. It is now 9:10am and I got up again, this time with a dream fresh in my head. This means that the dream took place between 7am and 9:10am.

I dreamt that I was in my room in CCK when I received a phone call. The caller was Xueli, and the phone number began with the prefix +60. She reminded me that I have to be at Mannheim Hbf tomorrow at 6.30pm or else I will miss the flight back to Singapore. She also said that Zhenle and Charmaine will be there. I asked her where she is right now and she told me that she's in Heidelberg. I looked at the clock and subtracted 6 hours, meaning that its actually 7am in Heidelberg. I panicked because I haven got a ticket to go fly to Germany. Immediately I went to MAS website and searched for any earliest flight to Germany so that I could reach Mannheim Hbf at 6.30pm. My mother came into my room and asked what I was doing. I told her that I needed to book an immediate flight to go to Germany, otherwise if I miss the appointment at Mannheim Hbf at 6.30pm, I will not be able to fly back to Singapore with the ticket that I have already booked.

Hbf - Hauptbahnhof which means Main Train Station

Heidelberg

Now that I am wide awake typing this blog entry, I felt that there were lots of loopholes in this dream of mine:

1) It is correct that I flew with Zhenle and Charmaine to Germany. But the Xueli that I knows does not speak German. What the hell will she be in Germany for?

2) The country code +60 is for Malaysia but the country code for Germany is +49!
3) There is a "time lag" in my dream. Because at this time of the year, Germany should be 7 hours behind Singapore and 6 hours only from April!

4) The whole dream did not make any sense. If I am in my room at CCK already, why do I need to panic to hurry to buy a ticket so that I could fly to Germany in order to be on time to fly back to Singapore from Germany?

Mannheim on 1st Feb 2008

After I woke up, it suddenly dawned upon me that today is the 30th January. I remember that tomorrow the 31st January, will be exactly 1 year ago that I flew to Germany and spent half of 2008 there. Do I still miss Germany? Certainly, to the extent that I can actually dream of such things. I remembered that few months ago I was still toying with the idea of going to Germany immediately I graduate to do an internship and get a job there. This dream was almost fulfilled. The internship contract had already been prepared but then I had problems getting a student permit, and so have to give up the offer. I felt really damn sian at that time. As Brad told me, he doesnt mind sweeping the streets or clearing the trash there so long as he can go back to USA again.

However now I know I am over it. Times are bad around the world and I am already considered fortunate to be offered a job in Singapore when I have not spent much effort in job searching as compared to the rest of the students who are graduating together with me. In fact I really should consider January to be a very unexpectedly lucky month for me. But does it mean that I am giving up my dream of going back to Germany? No, not at all. I will return after 5 years.

Die letzten Ferien bevor ich meinen Abschluss mache

2008-12-29T15:39:00.011+08:00

So lange hab ich nach meiner letzten Klausur nicht gebloggt. Es ist dewesgen gar kein Wunder dass meine Sprachkenntnisse sich verschlechtet hat. Ich sollte eigentlich in Dezember in der UB auf meine Bachelorarbeit vorbereiten. Das hab ich mal versucht aber die Motivation kommt überhaupt nicht. Auf der anderen Seite hab ich in diesem Monat ziemlich viel Spaß. Ich war ein Paar Tage in KL, aber dieses Mal war es etwas anders. Normalerweise fahre ich dahin nur zum Einkaufen aber dieses Mal war ich auch in Merdaka Square und Batu Caves außer dem Einkaufsviertel:

Dann habe ich auch natürlich viele Freude getroffen. Im besonderen haben wir Joannas Geburtstag gefeiert. Darüber hab ich mich sehr gefreut, weil mein letztes Treffen mit ihr vor meiner Abreise nach Deutschland war. Das bedeutet wir haben uns in den letzen 11 Monate nicht gesehen!

Die andere Gruppe, mit der ich mich getroffen hab war meine Kumpane von der Armee. Und bei jedem Treffen haben wir immer viel gegessen und danach getrunken bis wir kaputt waren. Dieses mal war auch keine Ausnahme. Wir waren bei einem chinesischen Buffet in der Stadt.

Ich hab auch meine Noten für dieses Semester bekommen. Eine Überraschung, ich muss sagen. Obwohl die Noten schlechter als die anderen Noten von den vorangegangen Semestern sind, bin ich mehr als zufrieden. Ich hab eine bessere Leistung als ich erwartet gezeigt, im Besonderen Makro III. Das war die schwierigstene Lehrveranstaltung in diesem Semester! Mit diesen Noten weiß ich, dass ich nächstes Semester nur für meine Bachelorarbeit fleißig arbeiten muss. Und ich hoffe, die A+ für Makro III kommt mir zugute weil ich die Bachelorarbeit bei Tomoo schreibe und der war genau der Dozent, der mich in Makro III unterrichtet hat.

Die Praktikumsstelle von der GfK habe ich auch bekommen, aber ich glaube ich muss wegen Probleme bei dem Antrag auf eine Arbeitserlaubnis aufgeben. Ich brauche eine Studienbescheinigung aber die NUS weigert sich, eine Studienbescheinigung auszustellen. Der Grund ist wie folgt: Ich bin ab Juli kein eingeschreibener Student mehr und ich muss auf jeden Fall Abschluss beantragen. Ich darf kein "Leave of Absence" haben. Ohne die Studienbescheinigung bekomme ich keine Arbeitserlaubnis. Ich war am Anfang total wütend und konnte diese Scheißbürokratie nicht verstehen. Aber nach reiflicher Überlegung denke ich, dass es besser ist wenn ich in Singapur arbeite und nicht von diesen unpraktischen Dingen traüme.

und noch 3 Klausuren mehr...

2008-11-25T23:32:00.005+08:00

bis ich mit allen Klausuren fertig bin. Wirklich kann ich nicht darauf warten. Seit dem Anfang dieses Semesters beschwere ich mich fast jeden Tag, wie ein Scheiße dieses Semester ist, wie schwierig die Vorlesungen sind, wieso muss ich diese Theorien lernen, die gar keinen Nutzen bringen. Obwohl ich noch 3 Klausuren hab, und die nächste schreibe ich morgen, bin ich noch trotzdem froh, weil die 2 vorherige Klausuren am zeitintensivsten sind. Eine heißt Makroökonomik III bei Tomoo. Ich hab während der ganzen Recess Week nur für diese Klausur gelernt. Einen Tag für eine Modelle. Und obwohl das wirklich angestrengt war, denke ich dass ich eigentlich diese Lehrveranstaltung mag. Ich meine nicht im Unterricht bei ihm, aber sonst wenn ich allein lerne und die Modellen und Probleme löse. Ich hab nicht in diesem 4 Jahr so fleißig für eine Module gemacht....

1) Solow Model
2) Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans Model
3) Diamond Model
4) Research and Development Model
5) Learning by Doing/Endogenous Savings Model
6) Human Capital/Students and Workers Model
7) Model of Production, Protection and Predation
8) Baseline Real Business Cycle Model
9) Special Case RBC Model
10) Lucas Imprefection Model
11) Dynamic New Keynesian Model of output
12) Fisher model of staggered price adjustment
13) Taylor model of staggered price adjustment
14) Caplin-Spulber model of state-dependent pricing

Das hat mich echt verrückt gemacht dass ich von den Gleichungen der Modellen geträumt habe als ich schlief! Aber die Klausur hab ich nicht so schwerig gefunden und das war gut weil ich so lange darauf vorbereitet hab. Zum Glück war das keine Arbeitsverschwendung.

Ich freue mich sehr auf nächste Woche. Ich schreibe am 2. Dez meine letzte Klausur und dann habe ich am Tag danach Telefoninterview für ein Praktikum in Deutschland. Ich hab vor einem Monat bei der GfK (einem Marktforschungsunternehmen, das größte in Deutschland und 5 größte in der Welt) Gruppe in Nürnberg darum beworben und ich war eigentlich überrascht dass die geantwortet haben. Die haben an mich geschrieben dass meine Bewerbung einen interessanten und viel versprechenden Eindruck auf Sie gemacht hat und würde gern mich besser kennenlernen. Hoffentlich kann ich ihren Erwartungen gerecht werden und wenn ich die Stelle bekomme, kann ich nächstes Jahr nach dem Abschluss wieder nach Deutschland gehen. Aber das Interview wird auf Deutsch geführt und deswegen hab ich Angst, weil ich sehr lange gar kein Deutsch gesprochen habe. Ich hoffe dass alles klappt.

Änderungen

2008-11-17T20:57:00.004+08:00

Some noticable changes after I came back from Germany, or maybe they already existed before I left but became more apparent:

1) Ich esse viel mehr als vor meiner Abreise nach Deutschland. 4 schwere Mahlzeiten pro Tag aber ich bin noch zu dünn. Isst man wirklich so viel wenn man für die Klausuren lernt?

2) Auch esse ich haüfiger Obst, im Besonderen grüne Äpfel. Meine Mutter wäre froh, wenn sie davon hört. Komisch weil ich in Deutschland gar keine grüne Äpfel gegessen hab... nur Bananen und Trauben.

3) Ich bin ein fester Retter der Bäume. Ich schreibe nur auf Konzeptpapier und benutzte gar keinen Schreibblock. Das gilt auch für meine Hausaufgaben, die ich einreichen muss! Deswegen bin ich ganz oft in den Fotokopieräumen, um Konzeptpapier von den Abfällen einzusammeln. Das sieht ziemlich peinlich aus, besonders wenn ich Freude im Raum treffe. Die sagen immer dass ich alles in Deutschland ausgegeben hab und nach dem Aufenthalt gar kein Geld hab, Schreibblocks zu kaufen! Aber peinlich fühle ich mich das nicht so.

Noch 6 Tagen bis ich meine erste Klausur schreibe.

Im Dilemma

2008-11-14T09:59:00.003+08:00

Letzte Woche war ich bei einem Vorstellungsgespräch für Praktikum von einer amerikanischen Firma. Und gestern Abend hat sie mich angerufen, und mir wird die Stelle angeboten. Bis jetzt hab ich keine Antwort gegeben, aber ich hab jetzt seit gestern bis zu heute Abend, eine Entscheidung zu treffen.

Ich will eigentlich das Angebot annehmen, weil die Firma in der Industrie einen hohen Ruf hat. Und ich bin der Meinung dass praktische Erfahrungen mehr Nutzen bringen als akademische Zeugnisse, im Besonderen wenn man nach der ersten Arbeit nach dem Abschluss sucht. Aber das bedeutet ich muss im Dezember arbeiten und habe fast keine Zeit, das Thema für meine Bachelorarbeit bestätigen, die ich nächstes Semester bei Tomoo schreiben. Obwohl es steht noch nicht fest, dass ich ihm unterstehe, will ich auf jeden Fall bei ihm arbeiten. Es sieht so dass seine Erwartung von dieser Bachelorarbeit ziemlich hoch ist. Eigentlich kann man das so sehen wenn man Lehrvanstaltungen bei ihm macht. Sein Niveau ist wirklich ganz hoch und seine Vorlesungen können als Terror angesehen werden. Fast jede versteht fast gar nicht, was der lernt. Deswegen belegen nur 37 Studenten in diesem Semester seine Veranstaltung in fortgeschrittener Makroökonomik, und ich bin einer der 37. Und wir haben bei den letzten 2 Sprechstunden über die Bachelorarbeit gesprochen aber kein wesentlicher Verlauf wurde gemacht. Aber meine "Beziehung" mit ihm ist viel besser worden, und das ist wichtig bei der Bachelorarbeit, so sagen alle Studenten.

Deswegen hab ich gedacht dass ich im Dezember mein Thema bestätigen sollte. Der hat auch gesagt dass der mir etwas finden wird, aber ich bin mir nicht so sicher ob das klappen wird, weil der im Dezember im Ausland ist. Ich hab ihm eigentlich schon ein Thema vorgeschlagen, das ich mich dafür interessiere. Aber der schient ein bisschen widerwillig zu sein, weil der der Meinung ist, dass das Thema zu empirisch ist und hat etwas theoretisch vor.

Was sollte ich machen? Praktikum oder Dezemberferien in der UB?

November

2008-11-03T22:16:00.011+08:00

Es ist November, 3 Monate seitdem ich zurück bin. Viel ist passiert in diesen 3 Monaten. Hab ziemlich viele neue Leute kennengelernt. Viele VWL-er, einige Mindsville Volunteers, einige Deutschen (die in Singapur für ein Austauschsemester oder Praktikum sind und noch ein Paar bei Studivz, die bald nach Singapur kommen). An der Uni ist auch viel los. In 3 Wochen lege ich meine Endklausuren für dieses Semester ab, und dann fang ich mit meinem Praktikum an (wenn ich die Stelle kriege, weiß bis jetzt noch nicht). Meine Schwester schreibt nächste Woche ihre Abiklausur. Es sieht so aus, dass alles so schnell geht.

Letzte Woche war ich bei einer Sitzung mit Studenten der NUS, die bald nach Deutschland gehen oder sich für ein Austauschprogram in Deutschland interessieren. Studenten wie ich, die schon mal in Deutschland waren, haben Referate gehalten und Tips für Deutschland gegeben, z.B wie man Lehrveranstaltungen an der Uni dort wählen sollte, oder für die neugierigen, welche Uni passt ihnen am besten und warum...

Ich kann nichts dafür, aber ich hab mich melancholisch gefühlt. Und ich weiß ganz genau warum das so ist. Weil ich Deutschland vermisse.

Der kalte Regen, die roten Baumblätter, der graue Himmel.

Wo in Singapur verzaubert dich am meisten?

2008-10-27T11:34:00.006+08:00

Gestern Abend hat die Susanne mir eine Frage gestellt. Sie will wissen, welcher Ort in Singapur mich am meisten verzaubert. Eigentlich war ich überrascht, die Frage zu bekommen. Das Wort verzaubert kommt mir so übertrieben vor. Das hab ich noch nie erwartet, aber vielleicht von einer Ausländerin, die sich für Singapur interessiert, konnte ich verstehen, wieso sie das gefragt hat. An die Antwort habe ich sehr lange gedacht.. und gedacht... auf jeden Fall kann die Antwort nicht Orchard Road sein. Ja klar, ich bin Singapurer. Ich kaufe gern ein und esse gern. Das ist der typische Singapurer. Aber Orchard Road passt mir nicht so gut. Auch wenn ich in die Orchard Road gehe, die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass ich einen Bekannten treffe, ist ziemlich hoch. Und dann habe ich an Clarke Quay gedacht. Bei Nacht sieht Clarke Quay ganz schön aus, trotz der großen Anzahl der Touristen, die der historischen Bedeutung von Clarke Quay nicht wissen. Bis jetzt weiß ich nicht, wie ich ihr erklären sollte. Ich bin in einer (großen, so sagt die Steffi) Stadt aber einem kleinen Land aufgewachsen. Deswegen ist das so, warum ich Landschaft und Überbleibsel der Vergangenheit sehr mag. Wie wäre's mit Sentosa? Das hört sich gut für eine Antwort an, obwohl es auch viel Touristen gibt. Aber die interessieren sich normalerweise für die Touristattraktion auf der Insel. Deswegen bleiben sie nicht den ganzen Tag am Strand. Und das mache ich gern, einfach am Strand faulenzen.

Aber gibt es irgendwo in Singapur, wo die Vergangenheit schildern? Ich glaube, Pulau Ubin ist eine gute Antwort zu dieser Frage. Und so war ich vorgestern mit den Steffi und Marén beim Fahrradfahren auf dieser kleinen Insel.

Vielleicht sollte ich mal den beiden Mädels die gleiche Frage stellen. Es wäre interessant, die Antwort von ihnen zu hören. Aber ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass die Steffi keine Touristattraktionen mag.

Über Alkohol

2008-09-20T01:12:00.005+08:00

Ich wollte gerade eine Dose Bier trinken, weil ich Durst hatte. Dann ging ich runter zum Supermarkt. Ich nahm 2 Dosen, ging an die Kasse und wollte bezahlen. Aber dann wurde ich infomiert, dass ich darf nach 24 Uhr keinen Alkohol kaufen. Scheiße, ich hab vergessen, das ich in Singapur lebe. Ich hab versucht den Kassierer zu überreden aber ich hab das nicht geschafft. Kann überhaupt nichts tun. Ich legte die Dosen zurück und ging nach Hause.

ja, Alkohol. Zu teuer bei uns. Heute hab ich im Korridor Leung Chi getroffen. Der hat, wie ich, ein Austauschsemester in Deutschland gemacht, aber nicht in Mannheim, sondern Stuttgart. Trotzdem haben wir uns in Deutschland nicht getroffen, obwohl ich schon mal in Stuttgat war. Das erste Ding, dass er sagte, dass er sich nicht an das teure Bier in Singapur gewöhnen kann. In Stuttgart als er die Hausaufgaben machte und dabei Durst hatte, trank er ganz einfach eine Flasche Bier. Aber hier geht nicht, sonst gehen wir bald Pleite.

Aber auf der anderen Seite ist etwas ganz anderes passiert. Die Pan Yu hat beim Chatten im MSN zu mir gesagt, sie vermisst Deutschland so sehr dass sie kürzlich so viel Alkohol verbraucht hat. Und das hab ich ganz komisch gefunden, weil in Mannheim hat sie nicht so viel Alkohol getrunken. Wie ironisch.

An der Uni sehe ich auch ganz viele Anzeigen zum Oktoberfest. Bayerische Mahlzeit und ein Glas Bier für $45. Schon 2 Mal mehr als in München. Das ist scheiß teuer. Wie kann man sich beim Oktoberfest hier betrunken?

Endlich kommt die Semesterpause

2008-09-18T20:53:00.009+08:00

Hab schon sehr lange darauf gewartet und endlich kommt die. Erstens weil ich mich jeder Tag zur Uni schleppen muss und die Vorlesungen und Tutoriums sind einfach für mich eine Qual. Melvin hat ganz richtig gesagt dass bei jedem Tutorium sind wir wegen Teilnahmepunkten mit den anderen VWLern im Krieg. Und zweitens brauche ich die Pause um viel zu lernen. Seitdem die Uni anfängt, gehe ich verloren. Die Vorlesungen konnte ich gar nicht verstanden und ich muss die Webcasts vorsichtig anschauen. Nach der Pause kommen 3 Zwischentests. Und ich muss mal trotz der Schwierigkeiten probieren, sie zu schaffen. Sonst bin ich am Ende des Semesters in Scheiße wenn ich die Klausuren ablege.

Gestern hab ich mit Hannah und einigen anderen deutschen Austauschstudenten zu Abend gegessen und danach natürlich Bier getrunken. Die allen haben schon Pläne für die einwöchige Pause gemacht. Einige fliegen nach Vietnam, die anderen nach Bali, aber Hannah muss wegen ihres Opas nach Deutschland zurückfliegen und kommt erst 1. Oktober nach Singapur zurück. Und als die mich gefragt haben, was ich in der Semesterpause machen werde, hab ich einfach gesagt dass ich am jeden Tag in der UB gefunden werden kann. Ich weiß nicht ob die meine Antwort ganz komisch gefunden haben, oder ob die gedacht haben, dass ich sie verarschen wollte. Aber es ist wahr dass die locals in Singapur bleiben. Die Pause sind für uns gar kein Urlaub, sondern ist die mir wichtig, Schadensbegrenzung zu machen. Sie haben auch schon beobachtet dass die locals sehr fleißig sind und das studentische Leben in Singapur sieht ganz anderes wie in Deutschland oder Europa aus. Damit bin ich sehr einverstanden.

Hannah fliegt in 2 Stunden nach Deutschland. Es ist ja doch unüblich dass jemand aus Europa während der Pause heim geht. Aber unter diesen Umständen ist das eine Ausnahme. Deswegen kann sie nicht nach Vietnam gehen, aber ich hab ihr gesagt dass es bestimmt weitere Chancen in Dezember nach den Klasuren gibt. Südostasien ist doch nicht so groß.

Aber gibt es wirklich bei mir nichts interessant? Vielleicht nicht. Ich freue mich auf den Grill, der dieser Samstagabend stattfindet. Ich vermisse die Grillpartys am Rhein mit den anderen sehr. Obwohl es bei dem Grill keinen Rhein gibt, bin ich sowieso darüber aufgeregt.

Essen

2008-09-10T23:47:00.006+08:00

Es sieht so aus, dass viele meiner Freunde krank sind. Jeder Tag wenn ich meine MSN-Liste die Spitznamen anschaue, gibt es auf jeden Fall jemanden, der krank wird. Und seitdem ich in Singapur zurück bin, war ich schon 2 Mal innerhalb eines Monats krank. Das konnte ich nicht glauben, weil in den letzten 6 Monaten als ich in Europa war, konnte ich mich nur an eine einmalige Krankheit erinnern. Das war nach den Osterferien und ich hab mich erkältet.

Vielleicht hat das mit dem Wetter in Singapur zu tun? Aber ich glaube, das ist nicht der einzige Grund. Oder nicht genug Schlaf? Aber in Mannheim schlief ich fast nur im Durchschnitt 5 Stunden pro Tag, und in Singapur schlafe ich 2 bis 3 Stunden mehr. Auch in Deutschland ist meine Lebensführung mit so viel Alkohol und Tabak total ungesund. Aber in Deutschland hab ich selbst gekocht, und wenn man selbst kocht, ist das wahrscheinlich gesünder. Außerdem habe ich fast am jeden Tag Obst gegessen. Das Obst in Deutschland sind sehr billig und wenn ich einkaufen ging, kaufe ich das immer. Ein Kilo Bananen für 0.79€, Ein Kasten Erdbeeren 1.29€, Trauben für 0.99€.....

Weil ich in diesem Semester schon so viel Stress beim Lernen hab, lohnt es sich nicht, krank zu sein. Deswegen lege ich darauf Wert, jeder Tag einen Apfel zu essen. (Obwohl Äpfel mir nicht so gefallen). Aber Trauben sind bei uns viel teurer als in Deutschland, und bald gewöhne ich mich an Äpfel.

Letzter Freitag hab ich auch etwas wahnsinn gemacht. Ich hab fast $60 für das Abendessend ausgegeben. Seitdem ich zurück bin, vermisse ich die Schweinshaxe sehr. So hab ich dann mit einer Freundin von mir bei Paulaner gegessen. Das ist ein deutsches (bayerisches)Restaurant in Singapur aber kostet viel mehr als das gleiche Restaurant in München. 1 Litre Bier kostet $25, doppelt so viel als in München. Ich finde das auch komisch dass es Bier im 300 ml Glas verkauft wird. Das gibt es überhaupt nicht in Deutschland. Man trinkt jedes Mal in einem bayerisches Restaurant mindestens 500 ml Bier. Und die meisten trinken üblicherweise ein Mass (ein Liter) Bier. Die Haxe finde ich auch eigentlich viel besser in München. Die Shujuan sagte mir, dass man das deutsche Essen bei uns mit Deutschland nicht vergleichen kann. Schade dass ich schon zuhause bin. Vorgestern hab ich noch eine Email vom Visum bekommen und die bringen Austauschstudenten, die dieses Semester an der Uni Mannheim verbringen, nach München am Ende dieses Monats, um Oktoberfest zu erfahren! Ich bin mir sicher dass das Oktoberfest bei uns im Vergleich mit dem echten Oktoberfest in München total peinlich aussehen wird. Auf der ersten Stelle wird das Bier viel mehr kosten.

Vielleicht sollte ich aufhören, Singapur und Deutschland zu vergleichen. Was vorbei ist vorbei. Jetzt laüft das Semester in die 5. Woche und ich muss meine Aufgaben nachholen, anstatt davon zu träumen, wie schön das Leben damals war.

3 Jahre, und weiter

2008-09-03T22:21:00.010+08:00

Heute hab ich im Korridor Frau Himmelsbach getroffen. Ich wollte eigentlich in die Kantine gehen, um etwas zu essen. Ich hab sie nicht gesehen und dann hab ich von hinten meinen Namen gehört. Ich drehte mich um und da war Frau Himmelsbach.

Das letzte Mal dass ich sie gesehen hab war am 30. Januar 2008, dem Tag vor meiner Abreise nach Mannheim. Genau 3 Jahre davor fing ich an, die deutsche Sprache zu lernen. Sie war meine erste Deutschlehrerin, und unsere Übungsgruppe war auch ihre erste. Damals war sie noch neu in Singapur. Obwohl wir nur im Deutsch 1 als Student und Lehrerin getroffen haben, bleiben wir im Kontakt. Ab und zu liest sie mein Blog oder wir schreiben uns Emails.

Es freut mich immer, sie zu sehen oder mit ihr zu reden. Im besonderen heute, nachdem ich einen schrecklichen Tag hatte. Ich fühle mich wohl bei ihr. Wir haben über meinen Aufenthalt in Deutschland geredet und dann hat sie gefragt ob ich nach meinem Abschluß nach Deutschland gehen will. Natürlich kommt die Antwort Ja. Aber in Wirklichkeit weiß ich nicht, wann ich eigentlich nächstes Mal nach Deutschland gehen werde. Ich bin der Meinung, es ist schwierig wegen der ziemlich hohe Arbeitslosigkeit (der Anteil steht bei 7.3%) in Detuschland eine Stelle zu finden, oder etwas sinnlos zu machen (außer studieren oder promovieren). Es hilft natürlich nicht viel, wenn man ein Ausländer ist, egal wieviel Deutsch er kann oder wie qualifiziert der ist.

Ich hab das Gefühl dass seitdem ich wieder zurück bin, hat sich mein Sprachniveau verschlechtert. Es ist kein Wunder und es überracht mich überhaupt nicht. Hier spricht man gar kein Deutsch, keine deutsche Fernsehsendungen, keine deutsche Plakate oder Werbungen auf den Straßen, keine Deutsch-Perfekt Zeitschrift (und der Spiegel kostet 2 Mal teurer hier als in Deutschland), keine Anweisungen oder Kochideen auf Deutsch, und auch keinen Deutschunterricht mehr an der NUS für mich. Aber zum Glück kenne ich einige deutsche Austauschstudenten, obwohl wir uns nicht so oft an der Uni treffen. Ich glaub, Frau Himmelsbach konnte spüren, dass ich entmutigt war. Aber sie hat auch versucht, mich zu ermutigen. Es freut sie auch, als sie hörte dass ich Pläne gemacht hab, nächstes Jahr im Goethe Institut Deutsch weiterzubilden.

Ehrlich muss ich sagen dass ich immer froh bin wenn ich etwas mit der deutschen Sprache tue, sei es nun beim Chatten, Schreiben, Bloggen, Lesen, Filmgucken oder Musikhören. Jetzt kann ich nur meine Erinnerungen und alles verzweifelt festhalten, die mit Deutsch zu tun. Wer weißt, eines Tages liest Angela Merkel dieses Blog und bekomme ich infolgedessen einen ständigen Wohnsitz in Deutschland.

Beim Feuerwerk

2008-08-24T22:02:00.005+08:00

Eigentlich wollte ich dieses Blog schließen, weil ich keinen Sinn finde, in das weiterzuschreiben, da ich jetzt zurück bin. Aber letzte Woche war ich beim Chatten am MSN mit Claire, die jetzt auch zu Hause in Toulouse (Südfrankreich), und die hat gesagt dass die mein Blog echt cool findet. Also als ich das gehört hab, hab ich eine Überraschung bekommen. Was? Ich hab das seit Anfang dieses Jahres geschreiben und nur kürzlich fängst du an, das Blog zu lesen? Und dann hat die gesagt, ich sollte auch etwas über Singapur schreiben, damit sie verstehen kann, was hier (oder in Asien) los ist.

Claire, ich muss dir aber sagen, bei mir ist nicht so viel los. Also, selbst wenn es viel los ist, bin ich meistens nicht dabei. Weil ich keinen Austausch in Singapur mach. Verstehst du? Das heißt, ich geh nicht am jeden Tag in die Stadt, wie die anderen Austauschstudenten in Singapur. Die machen jetzt genauso was wir in Deutschland gemacht haben! Partys, weggehen, sich betrunken (aber klar, Alkohol bei mir ist echt teuer), und ICH mach genauso was die fleißigen deutschen Studenten machen - jeden Tag in der Bibliothek lernen.

Aber ich war gestern in der Stadt, beim Feuerwerk. Am 9 August haben wir unser Nationalfeiertag und traditionell gibt es 2 Wochen später Feuerwerk. Darauf freuen sich die Leute sehr, wenn es immer Feuerwerk gibt. Nicht nur weil es schön aussehen sollte, sondern auch weil dieses 20 Minuten dauernde Feuerwerk von unseren Steueren finanziert wurde!

Jetzt siehst du das Finanzviertel in Singapur, die so genannte Frankfurt am Main von Deutschland

Ich bin mir sicher, dass die Labels für alle Blogposts "zuhause" sind.

Ich will abhauen

2008-08-23T02:23:00.005+08:00

Studentisches Leben an der NUS macht gar keinen Spaß. Das Semester hat vor 2 Wochen angefangen aber ich hab schon genug von allem Scheiß an der Uni. Ich kenne fast keinen am Korridor, an denen ich vorbeigehe. Die meisten meiner Freude haben schon ihre Abschlüsse gemacht und die Reste, die genauso wie ich noch ein Jahr studieren, kenne ich nicht so gut. Also sowieso hab ich gar keine Lust, die kennenzulernen. Und ich glaub dass es gegenseitig ist. Pauline hat am letzten Samstag bemerkt, "Es ist wirklich schwer, wahre Freunde von der VWL zu finden." Damit bin ich eigentlich einverstanden. Mal sehen, ich kenne nur weniger als 10 Leute von der VWL seitdem ich mich daran immatrikuliere.

Alle sieht an der Uni so fremd aus. Ich hab das Gefühl dass ich einen langen Traum hatte, der 6 Monate gedauert hat. Für Hannah ist das aber ein Traum, in Singapur zu sein. Aber ich sag immer zu ihr, wenn ich mich mit ihr treffe, dass wir uns wechseln können. Sie kann nach diesem Semester weiter hier bleiben, und ich kann abhauen. So ein gegenseitig vorteilhafter Austausch ist das.

Naja, aber die Wirklichkeit steht immer ganz anderes. Wir alle wissen. Wach auf, der Traum ist vorbei.

Post-SEP Effects

2008-08-06T13:35:00.002+08:00

It has been almost one week since I returned from Germany and like a drug addict who is trying to kick the habit of consuming drugs, I am trying to recover from the post-SEP symptoms. And I guess time is not on my side, since lessons begin next week. To be fair to myself and the people around me, I have to ask myself whether I really dread coming back, or if the life in Europe is really that wonderful, or whether Singapore is really that sian.

And after some thoughts about it, I conclude that I am quite happy to be back but upon anticipating what's in store for me I start to be dismal again. Life in Europe, to some extent, there are aspects of it which are better than Singapore. But yet again, there are other areas about Europe which leave much to be desired. And having grown up in Singapore, it would have been natural to think that the world out there is waiting to be explored. Let's be honest, Singapore is not a bad place to live in as long if you are law-abiding, know what you are doing. You do not need to strive hard to attain excellence but yet you are still able to survive here. And the infrastructure here, the transport, administration is already considered good. Never mind what the westerners may claim that Singapore live in a government controlled state with minimal political freedom or freedom of all other kinds.

After meeting up with some friends this week, they have left some very deep questions in my head. What do I exactly want to do after I graduate? If I were to work after I graduate, which areas am I especially interested in? Would you want a job that pays well but keep you in Singapore, or a job that allows you to travel but does not renummerate well? When you say you want to get out of Singapore, do you want to travel frequently or just be somewhere in another country for a few years and move on? And the most interesting one: Have you ever considered marrying a German?

But whatever plans I have or fantasize about, one advise from a friend whom I made out of unconventional circumstances (ie: not in school or because of tutorial answers) struck my brains the most: You must resign to your fate.

On a happier note, I am going cycling this Friday. And I am actually looking forward to it.

Panorama Pictures

2008-08-01T15:14:00.005+08:00

The beautiful sights of Europe

Now that I am back home, I am still struggling to cope with adjusting back. The weather here is terrible. Have been showering like 3 or 4 times a day and still feel sticky and tired from the heat. I realise that I tend to sleep more in Singapore than in Germany. Anyway here are some last pictures, all of them are taken by me and then using software to stich them together, producing a panoramic effect.

Dresden - Zwinger and Opera House
Altstadt Dresden by the Elbe river
Altstadt Dresden by night time
Prague old town hall
Baden-Baden Kurhaus, in which you could sample mineral water from the grounds

Baden-Baden Casino
Interlaken - Lake BrienzHeidelberg - the Neckar River at with the Old town at the right side
Heidelberg - same place as above but during sunset
Heidelberg taken from the Philosophenweg
Koblenz - view taken from the top of the fortress, the Deutsches Eck, where the Rhine river joins the Moselle River
Würzburg Old town taken from the view of the fortress

Strassbourg in France
Passau, at the confluence of the 3 rivers
Passau Altstadt with the River InnSchwäbisch Hall, the river Kocher runs through itSchwäbisch Hall Markplatz, facing the Rathaus (the centre building) taken from the steps of the St Michael Schwäbisch Hall again
And lastly, Mannheim Schloss, where the University of Mannheim is, where I "studied" for the last 6 months
And the view behind my hostel in Mannheim, the Verbindungkanal. Behind the canal is a small island, and behind the island is Ludwigshafen.

In the last 6 months I have seen much and experienced much. So much that I am still dazed and "disillusioned" by the reality that I am home now.

Dresden

2008-08-01T15:04:00.004+08:00

Like Prague, I was really surprised at what I saw in Dresden, most likely because I was ignorant of the East and thought I would see vestiges of the former DDR. Well they do still exist, bits and pieces scattered everywhere. But since the reunification in 1990, Dresden has evolved into a cultural and economic centre of the former East Germany.

Perhaps the most happening and touristic part of Dresden is the Altstadt, seen from the evening shot below taken across the Elbe river. A huge proportion of the Altstadt was actually bombed during the 2nd world war, but the restoration works were so quick that most of it has been restored to its former state.

Frauenkirche - built during the years 1726 and 1743, a baroque feat at that time.

However, during the war, it was badly damaged and the whole church practically collapsed to the ground. In fact, during the DDR regime after that, the church was not reconstructed untill only the collapse of the Soviet regime that reconstruction started in 1993.

Dome ceiling taken from the centre

Royal Stables and the royal quarter

Residenz Schloss - home of the royal family since 1485Semper Oper - one of the most famous opera houses in the world

Hofkirche on the left - the palace church, and the right is the Residenz Schloss
The Zwinger - a "versailles wannabe"

Crowned Bridge over the moat that leads to the entrance of the Zwinger

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/17JulyDresden

Schwäbisch Hall und die letzte Nacht in Mannheim

2008-07-30T07:26:00.012+08:00

To end it all with a German jewel

Probably very few people have heard of Schwäbisch Hall or even know where it is. Not surprising it is not like places in Germany like Hamburg and Köln for its nightlife or München for its beer or Berlin for its history or Füssen for its palaces, or even as popular as Rothenburg ob der Tauber for its medival gems of architecture.

And so I might probably be crazy to actually go out of Mannheim to visit one last place before I leave. And of all places to Schwäbisch Hall a small town in which there is only 1 platform at the train station and the trains come once every hour from Heilbronn. Despite its lack of touristic elements, is a really must see, especially if one is crazy about colourful half-timbered houses as well as wanting to see the kind of "traditional German village". It is a small town which probably takes only 2 hours to see everything there is to see. But the serenity, the scenery and the lifestyle and peacefulness of the place resembles those you'd see on artists' paintings or like what some people say, the cover of chocolate boxes. And so I present to you Schwäbisch Hall, or better known to the locals as Hall, in these 2 panoramic photos which I made out of combining the different shots.

The River Kocher runs through the town
Marktplatz, with the Rathaus at the centre.

These half-timbered houses look like candy chocolates

The fountain which is interestingly used as a fishtank to store fishes caught from the river before selling them, as well as the St Michael behind at the background. The interior is impressive with a lot of painted statues.

German beer and German food the whole day

My consumption of liquid for the whole day is not water but beer, totalling to 3 litres. As well as eating Pork Knuckles at München for lunch. Probably the last chance to drink all I can, and also the last chance to get cheap beer. And such was the gathering of the remaining people left in Mannheim at night. Drinking beer and smoking shisha. We wanted to go to a third one but then the pub was already closed. Oh well... I am simply not ready to go home yet.

Anyway although this is the last night, I am not done with the blog for sure. There is still more to write about Dresden as well as Baden-Baden which is my favourite place. And I guess I will do it when I return to Singapore.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/29JulySchwBischHall

Regensburg und Passau

2008-07-28T15:20:00.002+08:00

A visit to Eastern Bavaria

At the invitation of Elisabeth, I went to Regensburg to stay for 2 days. Of all the Bundesländern in Germany, I would say after this trip that Bavaria is the state in which I have travelled within extensively from Würzburg, Bamberg, Nürnberg, München, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Dachau, Rothenburg ob der Tauber as well as Füssen. The trip to Eastern Bavaria is to round up my visit to the major cities of Bavaria. Unfortuantely I did not have the time to cover Bayeuth or Augsburg, both which I heard were nice places too.

Anyway Regensburg is quite an gem in Bavaria I would say. Most of its structures are left unscarthed and untouched. At Elisabeth's place, she showed me some picture books of the history of Regensburg which she had them since the 1940s (black and white printed, with fonts script that I can barely read because it is too cheem) and we compared them to the photos that I took and 99% of them still looks the same from the past. No wonder that the Regensburg, as a medieval city, has been award the status of the UNESCO heritage site.

The Stone bridge - built in the 10th century, is the major medieval highlight.
Colourful pastel coloured houses
The interior of the St. Emmeram's Basilica, yet another baroque feat by the Asam brothers, the most prominent baroque sculpters of Germany in the 18th century.

Hospitable Guests

When Elisabeth first invited me to stay at her place, she told me over the phone that if I don't mind I could sleep in the top floor in the attic. But this was way much better than what I thought. And she was great company actually because she has also travelled widely within Germany and we were able to conserve over a wide range of places. Breakfast was always interesting because we had Bavarian confectionary which is amazingly great and yet a big portion. Well in the first place Bavarian food is always hearty and in big quantities. She also brought me to visit her chio granddaughter Sophia who was unfortunately sick for the past 2 weeks and was lying in bed when I went into her room. All in all it was a great experience to live at her place.

Albert (who studied economics and still believes personally that politics are a bunch of bullshit), Elisabeth

Passau

An hour train ride away from Regensburg brought me to Passau, which I am quite sure very few people have heard of it, even for exchange students in Germany. However Passau has one of the best universities in Germany, especially in law and economics. Which made me quite surprised, because it is even more beautiful as Heidelberg and one of the most beautiful places in Bavaria.

The biggest church organ in the world with 17774 pipes. Not surprising, this is one of the most common image which appear on Passau postcards

Because Passau is located at the confluence of 3 rivers, the Donau, Inn and Ilz rivers, it is also ofen subjected to floods. Here you see markings over the centuries of the water height.

Across the Donau River is the Veste Oberhaus - a fortress built in 1219 and it is only from the fortress that a view where the 3 rivers merge can be seen, as well as a great view of the Altstadt below:
View of the tip where the 3 rivers meet. Actually it looks like only 2, because the third one is hidden out of sight from the trees at the extreme left.

Along the river Inn, where there is a great garden where the students would lie down.

Easten Bavaria is really value for money I would say. The things on the street are not very expensive, probably due to the fact that they are university towns and hence the cost of living is somewhat kept. They are the gateway to the Bavarian forests and it is probably Bavaria's answer to the Blackforest in Baden-Württemburg. It gives the more laid back and lush view when you compare it with other Bavarian cities such as Nürnberg or München.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/15JulyRegensburg

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/16JulyPassau

Praha (Prag, Prague)

2008-07-28T06:24:00.004+08:00

Easily the most beautiful place in Europe

It is a difficult choice to decide if Prague or Interlaken is more beautiful. Both are beautiful in their own styles. However, in terms of architecture, I would say that Prague has a higher wow factor. In terms of nature, its the other way round. However, given Czech Republic's complicated historical background, it is hard to imagine that such a gem exists in Czech.

Anyway I liked Prague so much that I had to go again. And 2 times in 3 weeks. The first time with the 2 of them were pretty rushed, so I did not have time to take all the photos I want and walk at my own pace. This time I re-did of what I did 3 weeks ago, as well as discovering new hideouts and sights which were not listed on the map as well as on most guidebooks. And I got to know this gal from Slovakia on Charles Bridge. And her invitation to go Slovakia and stay at her place...... but I can only do it earliest next year. Was für eine Schade!

The Fred and Ginger Dancing House, finished construction in 1996

Charles Bridge

The main happening and touristic spots in Prague are undoubtly these places - Charles Bridge, the Old Town (with the Astronomical Clock) as well as the Lesser Quarter (together with the Prague castle), which is the district after crossing the bridge.

The Charles Bridge is a historical bridge that started construction in the mid 14th century and was completed about 50 years later. It was important because it linked the old town to the lesser quarter.

From the side of the old town, you can see the Prague castle across the bridge from all angles. At the bridge entrance there is a bridge tower, and you could climb the bridge tower to see the bridge. In the day, the bridge is always crowded at every second with tourists and street artists selling paintings or busking music. Also, there are 30 statues on the Bridge, mostly erected between 1683 and 1715. These statues were statues of saints. However, the statues today are all replicas and the originals are being placed in the national museum as exhibits.

The Charles Bridge is most beautiful during sunset and sunrise. As sunrise during summer is about 4.30am which I would be in bed, waiting for sunset is a more viable option.
The very same scene, Charles Bridge is at its most magical during this time

Old Town Area

A historic town area and the original settlement of the people in Prague. The most important place to be in the Old town area is at the town square:

The white church on the left is the Church of St Nicholas, with the interior shown below. I only went into the inside the second time I was in Prague. The first time I thought I had to pay to enter the church but that was not true. The green statue beside the church is the statue of the religious reformer Jan Hus, whom today is a national hero to the Czech people.

The interior of the Church

The dominant 15th century Tyn Cathedral

The astronomical clock dates back to 1410. It has the ability to show astronomical information such as the position of the sun, moon, constellations. Every hour there would be a short Glockspiel, which is actually not that fantastic but yet draw huge crowds there who wait patiently with their camera ready to film about 15 minutes before every hour. Wenceslas Square - sometimes considered the new town square. The national museum is in the background. The square is a popular place for demonstrations during the course of Czech Republic's rough history, where sometimes it went too far where people would set themselves on fire.

Prague Castle and gardens

Crossing the bridge would being you to the Lesser Quarter where today it seems to be a popular area where all the embassies would locate. Also it is on the same side of the Prague Castle, which is one of the biggest castles in the world. The gardens are also a good place to roam and look at Prague's old town from the other side. There is an area where they'd grow grape wineyards.

I was lucky to actually see a rainbow at sunset at the castle gardens.

Actually the picture above showing the 4 bridges are not taken from the Prague castle. Rather one has to walk further down and then climb up to a garden area, which is acutally quite hidden away but not very far. The view to see the whole city and the major bridges around the old town at a glance is perhaps the best.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/28JunePrague

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/20JulyPrague

Luzern und Zürich

2008-07-27T05:53:00.010+08:00

The Golden Panorama Train Ride

The train ride from Interlaken to Luzern, known as the golden panorama for its magnificant views throughout the 2 hour train ride. The train passes through the most beautiful sceneries and the most natural landscapes in the country.

What I always found beautiful was the countryside houses at the foot of the mountains or by the lakes. It really resembles those pictures you would see in children story books.
During the train ride, I was sitting next to these 2 girls who were travelling to Luzern to meet their relative. What caught my attention was the way they dressed up, like the character Heidi, with plaits and wearing traditional Swiss clothing, something which is very rare to come by these days. And soon we were talking with them asking me a lot of... kiddy interesting questions.

Luzern

Like Interlaken, Luzern is also a German speaking region in Switzerland. Lonely Planet said that Luzern is the only place in Switzerland that has a bit of everything, old houses, bridges, churches, a old town wall with watch towers, a river that cuts through the town and some snow capped mountains. And how true it is!

Wasserturm und Kapellebrücke - Watertower (on the left) and the Chapel Bridge: the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, constructed in 1333.

As you walk through the Kapellebrücke, you would see these paintings on the roof of the bridge which tell the story of Luzern. However, some of the paintings were being destroyed together with a majority of the bridge in a 1993 fire. Although the bridge were rebuilt, the damaged paintings were taken down.

Another highlight is to walk along the remaining fortified wall, and climb up the watch towers. From there a top view of the town can be seen, like the picture below. The mountain in the background is the Mt Pilatus, with an elevation of 2132m, overlooking the Luzern.

Like most buildings in the Altstadt in European cities, they are beautifully painted with murals like this: As I walked along the river where all the most expensive eateries are usually stacked along, my attention was turned to this menu. It says. Today: Nasi Goreng - Asian Ricedish with pork and vegetables, for 19 Swiss Franc!!!! And appraently it was quite popular as I head many people asking about the dish, whether it is "scharf" (spicy) or not. If you've been here for a while in Europe you would discover that actually most of the Europeans cannot tahan spicy food.

The Löwendenkmal (Lion Memorial)

This memorial is actually dedicated to the Swiss guards who were killed in 1792 during the period of the French Revolution. On August 10 1792, the Tuileries Palace in Paris were stormed by the Parisian mod in a bid to hunt for the royal family, in particular Marie Antionette. The Swiss guards (who have been mecenaries for centuries) who were at the palace defending were being slaughered while the royal family managed to escape through the gardens. Notice that there is a spear through the lion and it looks as though it is dying.

Luzern, although small a tour of the important sights can be completed in like 2 to 3 hours, is still nonetheless important because of tourism as well as its central location. From Luzern, many other Swiss towns, especially those in the south can be easily reached.

Zürich - zu (too) rich?

Needless to say, this is a German-speaking Canton of Switzerland. Actually many people who have been to Zürich said that Zürich is a city and there's really nothing to see. Even the SEP students who are there complained that its quite boring and the things there are really expensive. I fully agree with them, but since Zürich was along the way back into Germany that evening, I decided to see how boring it is.

The Bahnhofstraße is the street where for the first time I saw so many Swiss banks concentrated together (something like Robinson Road in Raffles Place). And popular rumour says that underneath in the basements of the bank vault stores huge amount of gold and silver, like the UBS bank building below:

Also, this street is lined up with designer brands of anykind you can think of. And prices are damn ex naturally. Even Bata, which has a store along the street, sells shoes for like 150 Francs. And to think they acutally shelf the shoes outside.

The river above leads to the Zürich lake. If you ask me what Switzerland is, I would think its lakes and mountains. Notice under tha red umbrella there are some people sunbathing. These people are all ladies, and they are sunbathing topless. In fact it is a ladies only area, because the entrance reads Frauenbad.

Zürich Lakes

In Germany, one can get tired of seeing Churches, Castles, Palaces and half-timbered houses. In Switzerland I think its the lakes and mountains that may bore a tourist. However because I was there only for 3 days it was still a relatively short time to bore me.

One of the high-class alleys in Zürich. Behind you see a church tower (St Peters) with the biggest clock face in Europe at 8.something metres of diameter. Cannot remember exactly.

That's it for the Schweiz. If I were to return to the Schweiz again, I would definitely want to go to Interlaken once again. By the way the tourism board actually recognises frequent visitors who return to Interlaken over the past 20 years. You'd just need to go to the tourism office and tell them and they will give you some form of recognition. How they verify, I have no idea myself. Anyway, besides Interlaken, I would want to also visit places like Zug, Brienz as well as Lugano. And hopefully meet interesting experiences along the way, like meeting the 2 Heidis. Who knows, they would have grown up by then.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/24JulyLuzern

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/24JulyZRich

Interlaken

2008-07-25T19:00:00.016+08:00

Willkommen in meinen Träumen - Willkommen in der Schweiz

Switzerland is one of the most lucky countries in the world. The people are blessed with a high standard of living (high costs too), natural landscapes (70% of Switzerland are mountains), beautiful and CLEAN lakes, fresh cold air and the world's best tap water.

Language wise, there are 4 official languages in Switzerland. The language which most Swiss speak is German (orange coloured regions) which corresponds to about 80% of the population. Next up is French (green), and the southern region of Switzerland speaks generally Italian. The 4th language is known as Romansh, which according to a Swiss guy whom I spoke to, sounded like Latin and has Latin origins.

The first part of the big Europe trip, I was in Lausanne, the west of Switzerland, near Geneva, which was a French speaking region. This time I spent my time in Interlaken, as well as Luzern and Zürich, which were German speaking Cantons. And I thought Lausanne was beautiful until I came to Interlaken.... where I felt that I was living in the times of Heidi, the storybook which we would read as kids.

In fact, Interlaken is one of the top tourist destinations in Switzerland because of the Jungfraujoch, the highest point of the Europe at 3454 metres. Also most tourist would flock here to do winter sports or sports of all kind, or just to spend money. And such was the impression that I got when I walked out of the train station:

Signposts to hotels in all directions.

Contrary to living in a hotel, I had booked a place in a hostel instead. It is a very popular hostel for Americans and for whatever reason I am not sure. And as expected, partying at night is very much on their agenda. Anyway, given my tight budget, I did not join in the booze, but rather I had packed about 2 days of food supplies from Prague and a bottle of wine from Germany to last me through.

The first night was mainly settling down, making my dinner and then waking along the main road in Interlaken, doing window shopping and looking at how rich tourist splurge their money in places like the Casino below:

Actually I was quite dismayed the first night to see so many tourists around. I have expected Interlaken to be touristic but the level of tourism is damn extreme here. I was determined to wake up early the next day and take the hiking routes which would lead me to meet as few tourists as possible.

And so I woke up at 6.30am the next day and went to get my breakfast. Not surprisingly, most of the people who were up early for breakfast were the Asians. Most of the Americans were still dead in bed. And after that, I left the hostel at about 8.10am and began my long walk for the whole day.

Here are some of the morning shots just outside the hostel and a 10 minute walk down in the direction of Widerswil.

It was great to walk like that in the morning because firstly, the air is fresh and the sun is not totally up yet so its not sorching. Secondly you can be sure you will not bump into any tourists but rather locals who walk their dogs or jog. And some of them would stop and talk to you for a while.

My target for that morning was the town of Lauterbrunnen, which was 795 metres high. Actually I was given the transport card which allows me to take the bus to a certain distance, reducing the time and effort needed to reach Lauterbrunnen, 12 km away from Interlaken. Or with the train it takes only 15minutes from Interlaken to reach. But by foot it would take about 2.5 hours. And it was a great idea to actually walk because of the following pictures below:

The train which everyone else would take uphill. Still walking is better because you could stop by and take pictures of all angles whenever you want.

Although there were signs showing the Wanderweg (hiking route), sometimes I strayed off course or cut through fields, in order to have a close look at what some of the Swiss homes are like. And here's one of them. I met this old man who was watering his vegetables in his little garden behind (pic above), as well as stopping by a barn where a guy was sweeping the hay and talked for a while.

At about 11am I finally arrived at Lauterbrunnen, where I was greeted by a row of houses displaying the Swiss architecture. Most of the houses are of course guesthouses, or hotels or anything catering to making money out of tourists.

My attention was then turned to the waterfall in the picture below:

Although not a fantastic waterfall in Switzerland (when they have the Europe largest's waterfall in Schaffhausen - a town bordering Germany), I went close to have a look at it. And they have actually constructed a path, which was acutally quite dangerous to use cos of the elevation, to get as close as possible to the waterfall:

The closest I could get to the waterfallSplendid views of Lauterbrunnen from the "Waterfall" This is really what they mean by Rest in Peace.

After having enough of Lauterbrunnen, it was already afternoon as I made my way down to Interlaken. And here are some of the beautiful flowers that I managed to capture along the hike up and down:

Once on level ground at Interlaken, my next target spot was Bönigen, a municipality about 35 minutes walk from Interlaken Ost Station. The reason why I wanted to go there was because of the Lake Brienz.

On the main street of Interlaken.

Along the way to Bönigen

Lake Brienz
Best waters I have ever seen so far in Europe

Facing Bönigen

I was in luck that day, because there was an event going on at the edge of the lake. And its not some kind of touristic thing (there are no tourists anyway, only locals), but rather like a display of different stalls showing the regional culture.

This stall demonstrates how they used to wash clothes with soap made from ashes. After scrubbing and cleaning the clothes are put in the pot of boiling water with soap. According to the lady, laundry is done only in Spring, Summer and to a lesser extent during Autumn. What is interesting is to look at the type of clothes they wear. For exmple the ladies wear pants in with slits so that they could just squat down and pee in the fields when they were working in the open!
This is a demonstration of a very intricate form of sewing by pulling and crossing different treads with so many "skewers" which looks so complicated that it could not understand how they managed to produce the following butterflies and stars:
And of course, not to be missed, Swiss horns:

The animals you see above are Lamas. According to the explaination, a well trained Lama is one which is a good companion to help to carry goods as well as transportation when treking. And there is also a club which does treking with Lamas in the mountains too. What is further interesting is that the Lamas always seem to be smiling if you look at their faces.
Of course, what is Swiss culture without some tradtional food? Here's Chäsbrätel, which is actually Grilled cheese with Praprika powder on bread. The long queue to get the food

It was a great open air gathering for the locals without the tourists around. Everyone was yanking away in the Swiss German dialects, which in this region is known as the Bernese Oberland dialect. For us Standard German speakers or native German speakers from Germany, its almost impossible to understand. If you thought German was mouthful and the people speak like machine guns and sound low-class and uncouth, then Swiss-German dialects would be even harder to swallow. It sounded more like Dutch than German to me and the vocab is almost incomprehensible. But they write and read in standard German, and they could also talk in standard German as well. When there are standard German speakers, they would be happy to switch to standard German so as to be more accomodating. Its like you know, talking to your Grandmother in Chinese instead of dialect. But the thing is that while most young Singaporeans are losing their dialects, the speaking of Swiss-German dialect can also be heard in kids. This contact with them has got me even more interested to pick up Swiss-German dialects.

The short time spent in Interlaken actually opened my eyes to Swiss-German culture. I calculated that I walked about 40km in one day of hiking. My foot developed blisters and it was very tiring. But it was a great experience, especially when you talk with the locals. The Swiss-Germans are super friendly and chatty without any air of snobbishness at all, not like some other country's people (there is no need to mention which). And although I did not have enough money to accend to the Jungfraujoch with me, I am very sure I will return one day to go up the Jungfraujoch again. The experience with the locals is in my opinion, much more valuable and interesting.

In my next post I will write about the interesting train journey from Interlaken to Luzern where I made friends with 2 Swiss Heidis.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a/22July08Interlaken

From Backpacking to Packingback

2008-07-25T06:12:00.006+08:00

Die Tage in Deutschland sind gezählt (The days in Germany are numbered)

Just returned from another part of my backpacking. The places on my hitlist this time were Germany - Regensburg, Passau, Dresden; Czech Republic - Prague and Switzerland - Interlaken, Luzern, Zürich. It was a great experience, especially in Switzerland, not because I did all the touristic shit but rather I learnt alot from the places I been to, especially Interlaken. As I am damn tired now, I will blog about it in a seperate post. Cos I think Switzerland deserves a seperate entry of its own.

This will probably be the last big travel before my return back home. I have 1 extra day of Eurail pass left and most probably I might consider going to München to eat pork knuckles on Sunday or Baden-Baden to lie down naked together with other girls in the spa. Depends on how fast I clear all the administrative shit and pack up my luggage...

On a happier note, I received my grades for all my exams already and the transcript has already been prepared and sent to NUS already.

Out of curiosity I went to calculate my weighted average, although its not necessary to do so. And I was really surprised. I got a 1.64 for a weighted average! Which is like an A- standard in terms of NUS grades. And to think I was playing throughout the whole semester. In Singapore, to get this kind of grades I would have to make the library my second home. Not trying to gloat or sound smart here, but I did not expect to get such good grades when the semester started in February., especially for IT in service industry, the paper which I bullshitted all the way and could still get 1.0. Or even courses like German Financial Market or German Grammar which I took for fun without studying at all cos I did not intend to transfer them to NUS in the first place. Anyway I was laughing my head off when I read the transcript. If only my transcript for next sem in NUS will look like this.

Anyway, I am very happy with the grades, not only because they are far much better than what is required of an exchange student, but more importantly because I am toying with the idea of furthering my studies in a German-speaking country (Germany, Austria, Swiss) after I graduate and the grades attained during exchange will tell a story or two of what happened in Europe previously.

20 days, 8 countries, many places...

2008-07-15T06:06:00.006+08:00

Some of the places during the last 3 weeks:

Paris: Tour de Eiffel
Rome: Roman Forum
Venice: the sinking town
Berlin: The wall that kept communism and capitalism at ends
Prague: going back there again!
München (together with Salzburg, Füssen): never get tired of this place especially at the stadium where it's the best place to look at German girls.

Madrid: Palacio de Comunicaciones
Barcelona: the beach where girls sunbathe half-naked
Lausanne: Ouchy districtAmsterdam: where hell breaks loose

Köln - Germany's gay capital along the Rhein

After 2 days of resting back in my nest at Mannheim, I am all ready to go out again tomorrow. This time the places are: Regensburg, Dresden, Prague (yes I did not have enough of Prague since I spent only 1 night there), Interlaken and Luzern.

And time for a new photo album since the photo album II is going to be maxed out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mannheim08a

Unterwegs (On the run)

2008-07-03T06:09:00.006+08:00

Sorry guys! Our blog's not been updated at all, and it looks pretty disorganised. Cos we're always out till late at night and up early in the morning to go out again. Hopefully we can find some time to put up more pictures. We're currently in Madrid, having just completed our first half of the Europe trip. Here's some of the pics of the last few places we visited:

Berlin - the capital of Germany

With a DDR (Former East Germany) Soldier and my fake visa stamped by him

Brandenburger Tor - Horses

Prag - easily the most beautiful city in Europe

Old town hall

Charles Bridge

München - the beer capital of Germany

Watching the Euro 08 finals in Olympiastadion with 60,000 other German fans. Experience of a lifetime

Bayern crusine - pork knuckle, stewed pork, potato dumplings, fermented cabbage, all this with beer to wash it down in a beer hall. Now that's Germany.

Füssen/Schwangau - home to 2 of the most beautiful palaces in the world

Alpsee, Bavarian Alps and the yellow Hohenschwangau palace

Neuschwanstein - the disneyland palace

been paying in Europe 2008

2008-06-27T06:46:00.004+08:00

Hi herdies or to anyone else who is interested,

the three of us have set up a blog to rant about the europe trip and the address is http://binpeiying.blogspot.com

however there are no pictures at the moment cos we're too shag or too bz to do so! hope that those of you who sent us your home addresses receive our postcards soon!

In the meantime, we're left Venice today and are now in Berlin. Enjoy the 2 pictures from Venice, the sinking city.

viele Grüße aus Berlin von
Benhardt, Y (üpsilon), Pieter

To the herdies

2008-06-25T05:41:00.003+08:00

Hallo! Bonjour! Buongiorno!

If you are reading this, send an SMS to ying with your home address in Singapore! We would like to send you a postcard from where we are when we receive the SMS.

best regards from Rome,
Bs, ying, Py currently aka
Bino, yingzaghi, pierro

Backpacking has never been so tiring

2008-06-24T04:59:00.005+08:00

Day 3: Rome - Colosseum

But worth the effort. This Paris trip is very much different from the last one in 2006. Never walked so much all over Paris before, climbed so many steps and accumulated backache. But glad that we got through last night, the supposedly toughest night. Now the rest of the trip should be more relaxing...

Schweinsteiger, der Albtraum der portugiesischen Mannschaft

2008-06-20T04:46:00.005+08:00

Schweinsteiger, the nightmare of the Portuguese Team

In World Cup 2006, Schweinsteiger was responsible for Germany's victory over Portugal scoring a 3 goals (one was deflected from a Portuguese defender). Tonight Schweinsteiger, or Schweini (as the German girls would call him), booked a place for Germany in the semi-finals! 1 chio goal and 2 wonderful free kicks to Klose and Ballack was all that sealed the Portuguese fate in the Euro 2008 campaign. Of course the Portuguese played very well too, especially the fast running Nani who almost cost Germany's game.

Now as I type this entry, the cars downstairs are horning like mad and shouting "Schweinsteig", which by the way, Schwein means pig, and steiger means climber, or riser. And here's to the guy who climb pigs

It was a great game today, a great idea to take Gomez out of the game. Frankly his Euro 2008 campaign has been crappy although he played very well in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart. The formation was tactical and flanks were good. But there is still a need to improve on their defence, the Germans don't seem to know how to run back quickly to guard their turf after an unsuccessful attack.

The semi final against either Turkey or Croatia will be a showdown. Against Turkey it will be because there are about 5 million Turks living in Germany (the biggest immigrant group in Germany), and also the area which I live in Mannheim is a Turkish district (but I won't be in Mannheim anyway). Against Croatia it will be a bigger showdown because of how the Germans screwed up in the quarter-final qualifiers against the Croatians.

Anyway I can forsee that I will have a difficult time sleeping tonight with all the noise going on. If only Ying and PY were here today instead of arriving tomorrow at 5am, I would not have to go to bed early and wake up early to pick them up, we'd definitely be on the streets partying now.

On a sad note, before the match started, I was having a mini grill by the Rhine river with Claire. Our last meeting. Felt very sad cos I won't be seeing her again. and I can say she's the first serious French friend that I ever made from working together for the International Marketing project. Her words, "we got stronger from the groupwork!" and she insisted that I must visit her next year in France or if she goes to Asia.

Multi-tasking with a time constraint

2008-06-18T22:42:00.005+08:00

I think I felt more busy after exams than during exam periods. I have yet to start cleaning and moping up the room, still in the midst of finalising the details of the Europe trip especially vis-a-vis directions, and of course I not started packing my luggage, given that I just started doing my laundry and my clothes are not dry yet.

On the other hand I was glad I was still able to find time to go spa yesterday with Malcom at the historic spa town of Bad Wimpfen. I have to say that the salt content in the water was very high like those in the sea, Since its a historic town, it implies that the town itself is made up of half-timbered houses.

Bäckeri Weinstube - Bakery and Wine Traven

For a 'late tea' at the bakery I had this white confectionary cream looking cookie with a ball of strawberry icecream. Actually the cookie was meant to be eaten like a how one would eat a bread, but it was my first time eating it and I was wondering how I should eat it when I saw icecream. But it turned out to be a ultra sweet combination. In the first place the cookie itself is already so sweet.

What was more interesting was perhaps our encounter with the restaurant manager at the Bahnhof. 9.90€ for Bayerische, American or Schwäbische buffet in which bookings have to be made 2 days in advance because they claim to prepare the food fresh. Speaking about Bayerische (Bavarian) food, I am so looking forward to going to München again because I am eat at this restaurant that serves great Pork knuckle and if I am in luck, the cute waitress might still be there.

Anyway back to the topic of the Europe trip, it seems that its so near but yet I don't seem to be well prepared for it. The two of my friends in Singapore however seem to be all ready for it, while I have not even read up on the places which I am supposed to be in charge. But anywhere I'd be away from the 20 June till 15 July and then away again before coming back to Mannheim to settle all the administration before going back home. So here are the places - Paris, Rome, Venice, Berlin, Prag, München, Madrid, Barcelona, Lausanne, Amsterdam, back to Münster to put up at my "German mother's" house, then stopping over at Köln before going back to Mannheim again.

And so these few days are especially tiring for me. Supporting Germany in the Euro, getting prepared for the trip has let me to sleep only 3 to 4 hours every night. On a happier note, I received my next result already for International Marketing. I did much better than I expected cos I really screwed up the final exam and ended up with a 2.3 and is really wonderful. I thought I would get something like 3 or 4.

Triberg im Schwarzwald (Triberg in the Blackforest)

2008-06-18T08:56:00.003+08:00

Ruhig. naturnah. gelassen. (peaceful. close to nature. serene)

I ended my stay at the Blackforest area with a visit to Triberg on the 24th May. In a sense, Triberg was the last place which I visited before I started studying (from scratch) for my exams then. It is small but very laid back town within the heart of the blackforest area. With a population of only 5000 people, it gives the feeling of a quiet authentic German town by the woods. The serenity and natural beauty of the town is perhaps its most valuable assets, although most people would claim otherwise, saying that the two most important assets of Triberg are its world's largest cuckoo clocks (there's not 1, but 2 of the world's largest) and one of Germany's tallest waterfalls.

A view of part of the town built in between valleys and the lush Schwarzwald (blackforest)

Eine Stadt voller Kuckucksuhren (A town full of cuckoo clocks)

Indeed, the main enterprise of the city is centered upon the cuckoo clock industries. Shops and shops selling claimed to be genuinely made in Triberg cuckoo clocks, and some can be as expensive as a few hundred Euros. What attracted me was the design of each of the shops like in the few photos below.

Deutschlands höchster Wasserfall? (Germany's highest waterfall?)

The entrance to this area which is like a specially protected nature reserve of the black forest shows a sign saying that the waterfall below is Germany's highest waterfall. At a height of 496 feet, it seems to be so. However there are some claims online that there is another waterfall in Germany which is higher than this one, making Triberg's waterfall the second highest. Whatever it is, I have to say that I could actually feel the force of the gushes of the water as I stood close to it, looking at the water slapping the rocks.

And of course, unlike the nature reserve at Bukit Timah where they do not encourage you to feed the monkeys, here they actually sell a bag of peanuts for people to buy and feed the squirrels. However the squirrels here appear to be very shy. They would take the peanuts and then scramble back into the woods to eat at a distance, making it difficult to take pictures of them. And the above picture was the best I could do. After a while, I ate up the peanuts myself cos its acutally quite a handful of peanuts!

Die weltgrößte Kuckucksuhr (The world biggest cuckoo clock)

The house you see below looks like any ordinary medieval German house. However it is acutally not a house but rather a clock! Indeed, the Eingang (entrance) at the door is actually an entrance to enter the "clock", and when we went in, we saw the mechanism (gears, pendulum, etc) of the clock itself like in the 2nd picture.

If you'd understand the mechanism of the cuckoo clocks, all of them are driven by weights. Now "Gewicht" means weight in German, and the weight that drives the world's biggest cuckoo clock here is 70kg, which is actually slightly heavier than I am!

From inside the "clock", there is a backdoor to the backgarden, where this is how the clock above acutally looks like. We were lucky to arrive at 15minutes before 1pm, so we could actually see the bird cuckoo-ing. However the bird appears to be very dark, and so its not very well captured by the video. But check out the woodcuter and his axe! I did not notice it there until I played the video at home.

And we also saw some cows along the way too. Moo.

What I like about Triberg apart from its serenity is that actually this place is supposed to be touristic but apparently not so. And I kinda liked it although the township would definitely want more tourists. Morever the train services to Triberg arrive only once an hour compared to more touristic places like Heidelberg. But places like Triberg by the blackforest are really cool because they do not give you the impression that you are in a "conventional" German town.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/24MayTriberg

Deutschland kommt weiter (Germany's progress)

2008-06-17T06:10:00.000+08:00

Auf gehts Deutschland schießt ein Tor (Get up Germany and score a goal)

Finally I am done with all my exams today, and its great because I also just came back from the match between Germany and Austria which Germany 1-0 and we were all soaked up in the street partying after catching the match at the cinema.

My make up artist
Deutschland muss heute abend gewinnen! (Germany must win tonight)
Trying to look guai lan

Feiern auf der Straße nach dem Spiel (Street party after the game)

It was a great havoc. Policemen activated, roads blocked, beer sprayed at everyone, everyone getting drunk and doing all sorts of stupid things, fireworks launched, public damages occured as people made a big mess out of the major roads and climbed up traffic lights, all in the mood of celebration.

Wasserturm - Water Tower, the emblem of Mannheim

Die deutsche Nationalhymne

And of course, one of the most awesome national anthems in the world with a very beautiful melody. I have always thought that European countries have very beautiful national anthems. Although not a German citizen, I was happy to be able to sing it in the cinema before the match started.

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
für das deutsche Vaterland!
Danach lasst uns alle streben
brüderlich mit Herz und Hand!
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
sind des Glückes Unterpfand;
Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes,
blühe, deutsches Vaterland!

Check out the 2 cute German girls

Serious Business

Although Germany won by a free kick from Ballack today, I think their style of playing leaves much to be desired. Many of us agreed that if they continue playing like that they are going to be in deep shit when they face Portugal on Thursday. It is unlikely that they will continue to whack Portugal like in World Cup 2006. Today Germany's defence was quite slack as they allowed the Austrians several breakthroughs. Although they made several great runs down the flank by Lahm especially, most of the time they failed to add the finishing touch. And frankly speaking, after watching Germany play a few times, you could more or less catch their style of playing.

Thursday is D-Day when they meet Portugal. I hope they change their style and come up with something more refreshing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/16June06DeutschlandKommtWeiter

Ein sehr enttäuschendes Spiel (a very disappointing game)

2008-06-13T17:38:00.007+08:00

Together with about 500 German fans in the cinema yesterday evening, I almost could not recognise that it was Germany playing for they played pathetically and miserably bad against Croatia. Sloppy defences especially that led to Croatia's second goal, and giving Croatia so much unnecessary space to move about. What were the defenders doing? What the hell was Ballack doing? Behaving like a big superstar but always blasting the ball into outerspace or passing the ball to nobody. And Gomez, always so eager to go forward that got himself unto unnecessay offsides. The half time substitution of Odonkor in order to inject some acceleration was a flop as well. He did not add any value to the German offensive and was certainly not fast enough. The icing of it all - Schweinsteiger got himself sent off (he deserved it) for pushing a Croatian player to the ground after the later had tackled him. Now he will miss the next crucial matches. As if Germany had not enough midfielders, with Schneider already out of the Euro due to neck operation.

Although I am not in a position to comment about the tactics and the technicalities of the game, the German team certainly let the country down yesterday. Everyone in the cinema could not believe it. The German girls dressed up so prettily in the national colours were close to tears. After the first half everyone thought that Germany would pull their socks up but it just went worse. It was only the last 10 minutes that they started to buck up a little, but it was all too late.

Looking at the way Austria played against Poland yesterday, it is not going to be an easy game for Germany this coming monday to play against Austria. If they are still going to be complacent and think that they are oh so great, then they're in for it. They have to win, otherwise they can say Auf Wiedersehen to the Euro. Hopefully the loss against Croatia is a wake up call for them. They better wake up their bloody fucking idea, like what we always say in the army. Or else they will continue to break 82million Germans' hearts and many others like mine.

A Tribute to John Miller Jones

2008-06-11T19:30:00.010+08:00

NUS needs this kinda lecturers for econs

There is this course that I took called A Survey of USA, taught by this guy John Miller:

He looks like anything - mafia, rock star, drug addict, anything but a lecturer and of course, his classes are damn slack. During every lesson he looks as though he just had a puff of weed or a shot of heroin before that. And that's why I was damn slack for this course too and started to study only the day before the exam. So I went to the exam with the sentiment that I am going to write something out of nothing.

The day of the exam

It was supposed to start at 12pm but we were still hanging around outside the exam hall at 12pm cos there were 3 concurrent exams by 3 different lecturers, Miller being one of them. And so when we finally got seated it was already 12:15pm. The exam was supposed to last till 1:45pm, but ZR and I finished it by 1:00pm. Because it the seats in the LT were long benches instead of individual seats, it was troublesome for us to hand in our scripts cos we were not sitting the corner but rather in the centre, which means everyone have to get up for us to get out.

I looked at Miller who was at the corner staring away into emptiness and munching away on his bread. Feeling rather bored, I took out my banana and started eating in the exam hall.

15 minutes later, we saw someone handing in the script and leaving the hall. Already quite restless, we put our hands up and Miller came up to us. "You guys are returning to Singapore right? I'll send your results to the Academisches Ausländsamt. All the best and have a good trip back"

And we jumped out of our benches to the row below and made our way out. Later that day, I heard from Johanna who was in the same LT as me sitting for the exam that although the paper was supposed to last till 13:45, by then some people had not finished and so the timing was extended till 14:15. Where got such thing one?? How spontaneous!

My grade for this course

This morning I received an email from Miller:

Dear Boon Song,

You did well on the Klausur (84 pts.), and, along with the presentation, ended up with a 1.7 for the course. I’ll send the test and Schein to the AAA.

Yours, Miller Jones

(Klausur is written exam in German, Schein is certification)

My eyes nearly popped out when I saw 1.7 because I wasn't expecting it at all. For a paper which I spent half a day preparing for it, and a presentation which I spent 30minutes gathering everything from internet, it was really utility maximising and cost minimising (ratio of time spent to grades)

1.0 - 1.5: excellent – an excellent performance
1.6 - 2.0: very good; a performance considerably better than average
2.1 - 2,5: good – a performance which is better than average
2.6 - 3.5: satisfactory – an average performance
3.6 - 4.0: sufficient – a performance which fulfils the specified requirements
4.1 - 5.0: fail – a performance which does not fulfil the specified requirements

Now I am curious to see what are the other grades which I will get. As an exchange student our requirement is to get 4.0 as a minimum grade. That's the standard in order to get the minimum required grade in NUS.

But to anyone who is reading this post and considering to go to Mannheim for exchange, be sure to consider courses taken by him! How I wish my honours year econs modules at NUS next semester will be taught by lecturers like that.

Deutschland vs Poland

2008-06-08T18:47:00.006+08:00

Germany will win tonight

With the Euro 2008 underway, it is a common sight to see flags hanging everywhere, shops, from balconies, car windows etc. Because Mannheim is a highly international city, there are many people from other European countries especially from Italy and Turkey living here. The more 'politcally correct' people, as Johanna says, will hang their own country flag as well as the German flag.

Anyway tonight Germany will play against Poland at 8.45pm German time (2.45am Singapore time). I was at Johanna's place yesterday and she was telling me that in her heart although she hopes that Poland will win (she's Polish), the chances are very low. Nevertheless she is still going to a Polish pub to support Poland, although she knows that it will be very dangerous on the way back. Its really admirable to observe how people are so passionate about their country even though they have been living abroad for so long, or they're not even born in Germany. The Turks are one such example, the third generation are born here and they have the German citizenship but on the streets yesterday you could see Turkish kids all over the place with the flags tied to their backs. And when the German reporters interviewed some Swiss fans yesterday after they lost 1-0 to Czech Republic and asked a 5 year old girl how she felt about the match, she broke down into tears in front of the screen.

Expecting to see riots as well as drunkards everywhere later in the evening. The sentiment here is that most people want Germany to win. It has been a long time since they produced results. Moreover, there are practical reasons to support Germany, even if one does not like the German team. This is because most of us here have bought the German Bahn25 card Euro 2008 edition, which is a card which is issued by the deutsche Bahn, the German national railway. With this card one is entitled to 25% off on travel on rail and public transport in Germany, and for every match Germany wins in the Euro, the card's validity will be extended for 1 more month.

The last time when I was in Germany was 2006, during the World Cup period. However I returned to Singapore on the 2nd day of the World Cup. This time I am typing this entry on the 2nd day of the Euro and I am glad I am in Europe following the Euro till the end, although I will be travelling for much of the later matches.

Konstanz am Bodensee (Constance by the lake Constance)

2008-06-07T02:31:00.011+08:00

I fell in love with Konstanz

That was my MSN nickname after I came back from the hiatus. Konstanz made me think that it is the most beautiful place in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Much more than Heidelberg or Baden-Baden. Surprisingly it is not a very sought after place to visit by tourists. However Konstanz can be covered in 1 day and its not like big cities like Hamburg or München. But beautiful places need not be big.

The used-to-be imperial Postoffice. Built between 1888 to 1891, it is the office of the Sparkasse (a savings and financial association in Germany)

Markstätte, the "main street" leading to the Kaiserbrunnen (imperial fountain)

Schnetztor - a gateway built in the 14th century to mark the boundary.

According to the tourism website of Konstanz, it was mentioned that this is one of the few medieval defense structure left remaining. However, what gave me the impression was that the Schnetztor looked like a replica because the bricks were so perfectly layed and the walls were not cobbled.

Rathaus Konstanz

the courtyard of the Rathaus - a wedding was taking place

A hotel along one of the alleys

What we liked especially were these pastel coloured rows of houses tucked away in these backyard alleys.

Along the Rhine river. The river leads to the Bodensee (lake Constance) after the bridge.

Auf der Seestraße (On the Lakestreet)

This place is in my opinion, the most beautiful place in Konstanz. The Seestraße is a walkway along the Bodensee, it was also where we set up our grill and had lunch. The great thing about Germany is that whenever the weather is good, we could just get a portable grill (costs only 2€ from supermarkets), buy our food and cook it at some designated parks or by the river. And the total cost is still cheaper than eating a meal outside!

Anyway it was a great place to do a grill because of the wonderful scenery. The scenery plays a very important role in the overall utilty of the grill. For instance, at Mannheim, whenever we go a grill, it will either be at the back of our hostel facing industrial factories across the canal, or along the Rhine river facing Ludwigshafen. But in Konstanz it's along the lake, with crystal clear, gleaming clean water as you will notice from the pictures below.

It was along the row of the beautiful buildings that we sat facing the lake and cooked our food.

Our lunch

After eating we took a walk down the Seestraße and were delighted by what we saw.. it is truly beautiful from every angle. At the end of the pathway we saw many boats parked at the edge of the lake. It appears that this place is a popular place to do water sports and these boats or yatches belonged to people who actually rent parking places here.

After that we crossed the bridge to the side of the harbour where it was also another happening spot. My attention was turned to the Imperia statue. It's 9 metres high, and weighs 18 tons. It is a statue of a woman that is scantily clad, revealing part of her breasts. Imperia was a prostitute who plied her trade. The statue's hands are stretched out, holding 2 men. They are the Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund.

Along the harbour, more fresh flowers

Eating an icecream by the waters.

I really like the icecream in Germany. Its one of the cheapest street snack around and the best icecream are sold by the Italians. However I heard from Seok that the icecream in Italy are much more expensive than in Germany.

The German Swiss Border

Actually it is easier to access Konstanz from Switzerland than from Germany because because Konstanz is located at the tip of southern Germany at the Swiss Border and it is actually enter Konstanz to access by trains calling at the Swiss station at Kreuzlingen (Swiss city facing Konstanz)

Zollamt means Customs Duty office. This was once the place where people who wanted to drive into Switzerland had to declare goods. Notice that in Switzerland the alphabet ß is not used. In Germany and Austria, we would use the ß in words after long vowels or dipthrongs, for example, for the word street, we would write Straße. However in Switzerland and Lichenstein, ß is being replaced with ss. That is why Straße appears as Strasse. However this ß does not have a capital equivalent. That is to say if were to write in blocks in standard German, it would be STRASSE instead of STRAßE.
Having an hour to spare before our train arrives, we took a walk into technically Switzerland and headed back, so you can see, we walked into German soil again.

If I have the chance again, I would really want to redo what I did that Friday afternoon. Have a grill along the Bodensee or just simply sit there and watch the world go by. Konstanz is really a beautiful place and its easy to see why I fell in love with it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/23MayKonstanz

Was ich in den letzten Tagen gemacht hab (What I have been doing the last few days)

2008-06-03T01:09:00.009+08:00

With 3 papers this week, there is a need to feel anxious and study. If this was NUS I think I'd have started the mugging about a month ago, but I realised that my studying stamina has dropped a lot since I came here. Mugging in the library used to be my speciality in NUS and I felt just like that these few days. As I mentioned, the period which I sat down to seriously do some work over the weekend was definitely longer than all the cumulative time spent over the past 4 months on my work.

But I do like the library here. Apart from the fact that occassionally you shift your attention away from your desk and ogle at some German chick walking past, I think its much better than NUS, in terms of facilities and comfort. As you can see below, for every table there is a table lamp, as well as a socket and a lan point (the 2 silver "squares" next to the lamp. the first one is the switch of course). As well a metal fixture for us to lock our laptops. Very ergonomically designed indeed. And the chairs are those office designed chairs which are comfortable and yet you won't get backaches after sitting there for a while. Where did Uni Mannheim get all the money to engage in such things? Well, it seems that this Uni is the top Uni in Germany in receiving donations from the private companies, big firms and individuals, which probably explains why their endowment is so much. Definitely it does not come from the student fees, for previously university education is free in Germany and now it costs 500€ per Semester, (which is still lesser than NUS), which makes me think that discounting the exchange rate which drives up the cost of living to around 2 times or slightly higher, it can be quite attractive to study here....

Also, there's a media library in Mannheim in which you are free to walk in and watch any DVD you want, and the collection is awesome. They even have Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together which I tried to hard to find in Singapore but could not!

And finally I am so addicted to this song after listening it on the German radio. The lyrics are a little cheesy though.

Ich weiß nicht mal, wo du grad bist,
ich weiß nur zwischen uns das ist vorbei.
Du bist mir einerlei, denn ich bin endlich frei.
Naja, kann sein, ich liebte Dich,
doch heut tut's mir schon lange nicht mehr weh.
Aber manchmal bei Vollmond, da schlaf ich nicht ein und fühl mich verlassen, verloren und allein.

Dann hör ich deine Stimme in der Nacht.
Du sagst: Irgendwann wirst du wieder bei mir sein.
Dann schließ ich meine Augen, und würd' so gerne glauben,
es gibt ein zweites Leben für uns zwei.

Das Glück, es war nicht lang mit dir, doch du hast mich so tief berührt, so tief.
Ich weis nicht wie es kam, doch dann ging alles schief,
Ich glaube ich lieb Dich nicht mehr sehr,
ich lebe noch, doch vielleicht nicht mehr so ganz.
Doch immer will ich mit dir eins sein beim Tanz
Dann bet' ich, dass du wieder herkommen kannst.

Dann hör ich deine Stimme in der Nacht.
Du sagst: Irgendwann wirst du wieder bei mir sein.
Dann schließ ich meine Augen, und würd' so gerne glauben,
es gibt ein zweites Leben für uns zwei

Freiburg im Breisgau

2008-06-01T05:50:00.009+08:00

The Jewel of the Blackforest

Indeed, the German cities which I visited after Rothenburg ob der Tauber, though beautiful, do not qualify to be "jewels". I was therefore quite surprised to see how Freiburg turned out, and was happily snapping away at everything I see.

Freiburg lies at the western edge of the southern blackforest (Schwarzwald) in Germany and is known to be the biggest city at the southern blackforest area. However, it is predominantly a university town and not like Mannheim where you hear fire engines wailing away every hour, Freiburg appears to be very slow-paced, quiet and serene (at least for the days I stayed there).

On the top of the Schlossberg (a hill) stands the Aussichtsturm (observation tower). The view of the Altstadt is majestic from the top of the tower. But that's after a long climb all the way up, but for the scenery is worth the climb.

the view of the Altstadt, the most prominent landmark the Münster

vineyards

Die Bächle

I did not notice, or did not remember noticing any Fachwerkhäuser in the Altstadt, which was quite a surprise actually. This is because the conventional German Altstadt would be full of half-timbered houses. But there is a very interesting aspect of the Altstadt:

The canals that run throughs the town, known as the Bächle. I heard that Freiburg can be a warm place especially during sommer, and these little canals are frequently used to cool one's feet. The concept of the Bächle has been around for a really long time, and during the past they were used to hydrate the cattle as well as to fight fires. You may then think that the water must be very dirty but that is not true at all. Its crystal clear and spotlessly clean without any litter!

Also there is a saying that if you were to trip into the Bächle, you will be destined to stay in Freiburg and marry a local. Unfortunately that did not happen to me, for I've grown to like Freiburg....

Rathaus und Münsterplatz

The neues Rathaus (new town hall), as you can see below is a symmetrical structure. It was actually two seperate houses, and was combined together during the period 1578 to 1581, where it was the main building of the University till 1896, where it became the Rathaus.

Next to the neues Rathaus is the red altes Rathaus (old town hall). Built in 1559.

Das Freiburger Münster und Münsterplatz

One of the most popular Cathedrals in Europe, The Friburger Münster was completed in 3 stages, the third stage in 1230. It was interesting to note that this church was originally built as a burial Church for the then dukes of Zähringen. The Architecture of the cathedral looked gothic in nature and a check online revealed it was the only gothic church in Germany that was completed in the Middle Ages and amazingly escaped the bombing raids in WWII.

Am Münsterplatz
At the Münsterplatz stands this red brown Historiches Kaufhaus, a merchant hall which was used as trade adminstration and built in the year 1530.

Also there are two remaining town gates at the entrances of the Altstadt. They are the Martinstor, which can be readily identified by the Mcdonalds (somehow unexpected) next to it. It was built in the 13th century and is 63metres tall.

The other remaining town gate is the Schwabentor, also built around the same period as the Martinstor. Fischerau - previously the fishing quarters
More pretty houses, with design exclusive to this region

Bei Seok (Staying at Seok's)

Like me, she's an exchange student from FASS but at Freiburg. And she's the only Singaporean there! I think its good in a sense because it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and communicate with everyone else in German. Actually I am quite envious of her spending her semester at such a beautiful city, paying lower rent, and also being the only local there. And now that I think about it, Freiburg was my 2nd choice then...

And here's how her room looks like, smaller than mine but definitely much neater. Guess that's the difference between a girl's room and a guy's. Or maybe she cleaned it up before I came.

Her Wohnheim is situated about 10 minutes away from the Hauptbahnhof and Altstadt, which is actually very convenient if she misses the tram. But anyway the tram service there is very efficient even on a public holiday where the tram came once every 15 minutes, which was already very good. Also, despite the vinicity to the main central area, her Wohnheim neighbourhood is very green and full of nature. There's a lake nearby (which I unfortunately do not have the time to check it out), and the photo below is from the level balcony. Its acutally land which the government lease out to people who acutally want to have their own garden or grow their own vegetables. It looks like pieces of farmland but that's what it really is. And sometimes you'd see these land owners bring their goats walking around the hostel downstairs. Very interesting indeed.

And their communal area, looks like a home more than a residence really.

Coming from an industrial city (Mannheim), I really appreciate the serenity and lush setting of Freiburg. Morever, the population there is definitely not as international as Mannheim, something which I would also actually prefer. It brings the more authentic feeling of living in a true German town. Having said that, I wished I'd have tripped into the watercanal.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/22MayFreiburgImBreisgau

Basel

2008-05-30T23:12:00.009+08:00

Basel is a city in Switzerland and is located along the Rhine river in north west Switzerland, at the Swiss-German border. Because of the location of Switzerland such that its locked in between France, Germany, Austria and Italy, there are different language speaking regions in Switzerland. Generally the cantons which are nearer to France, ie the West part of Switzerland tends to speak French while the Northern part of Switzerland which is closer to Germany speaks German, and the southern part, Italian. However, there's a difference between spoken Swiss German and standard German in a sense that its harder for us who learn standard German to comprehend Swiss German, although we write the same way.

Basel is hence a German speaking region. But you do actually find some traces of French influences, like cafes and chocolate shops. It is at the same time, one of the most underrated tourist destinations in Switzerland, for there's nothing much to see and what there is to see can be completed in a few hours.

Despite this I thought that it was still worth to drop by Basel since I would have been already in the southern part of Germany for the next few days.

River Rhine

Inside the Münster (Cathedral), built around 1020.

The courtyard of the Münster - it is the season where all the flowers would bloom, and what makes it beautiful is that they just seem to grow wildly in the courtyard. At the same time, behind the Münster, there is a backyard garden that faces the Rhine river, and many people actally hung out there to relax or have a mini picnic.

Outside the Münster. As usual, its impossible to capture the whole picture of the Münster. Notice the Sundial clocks above my head. There're two acutally, one at the other corner. And both are still in use supposedly.

On one of the cobbled streets near the Münsterplatz

What I found to be interesting in the design of the old buildings here is that they have very beautiful roofs, designed in such a way that it looks like pecock feathers. Also, there are a few buildings here which were painted dark maroon, (the Rathaus being the epitome of it all) which actually stands out admist the other old buildings beside it.

Rathaus, in its Renaissance style.

Fountain near Markplatz

I realised that there seem to be quite a lot of old fountains scattered around the Altstadt of Basel, and people were drinking from it.

Spalentor - The Gate of Spalen

Like most ancient cities, Basel also had a city wall. But most of it is largely gone today. However, the Spalentor, a former city gate, still stands today. It was built around the 14th century and is probably one of the most precious landmark of Basel.

One of the alleys in the Altstadt where all the old houses were still preserved. It seems that despite its vicinity near the German border, the houses here do not have the typical Fachwerkhäuser design. Rather with the window panes, they tend to resememble those that I saw in Strasbourg about a month ago.
Another fountain, this time in the backdrop of a castle. I cannot remember what the name is or its significance.
One of the many shopping streets of Basel. Like in Strasbourg, I also realised that there's this cloth like thing that's hung across the streets, and I really wondered what it is. It doesn't seem to be an avenue for advertisement to me nor is it a protection for rain. Perhaps I will see more of such traits when I venture more into French cities.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/22MayBasel

Uni Goodie Bags

2008-05-27T23:38:00.004+08:00

I remember that NUS would give out goodie bags or wellness pack nearing the exam periods. I am not sure if the goodie bags I got today from the Mensa are part of Mannheim's exam welfare.. but from the contents of the goodie bag it does not seem so. Apart from the usual vouchers, Post-it slips, shampoo and coffee samples, there's also more useful things such as deordorant, sprays, alcoholic alcohol drink, wine, and condoms. And its not entitled to one per person... its take until your hands cannot hold.

Sometimes its great to be a student, discounting the exam fever.

Der Schwarzwald und Bodensee (Blackforest and Lake Constance)

2008-05-25T15:46:00.014+08:00

Just came back from my hiatus from the south of Germany, at which the bulk of the places were spent at the towns at Schwarzwald area. It was great to actually visit these places which are easily overlooked by tourists, and I think I'd also not consider going there as well if I am not staying over at Seok's place the past few days. This is because although the places that I visited were within Baden-Württemburg (the same federal state as Mannheim), it took me 3 hours to go from Mannheim to Freiburg im Breisgau (where she lives) in order to use it as a base to move out. Although we came back every night dead tired, it was worth the "effort". And here's a quick look at the places visited:

Basel - one of the venues of the Euro 2008 matches and highly underrated Swiss destination.

Freiburg im Breisgau - small and beautiful German university town

Konstanz (Constance) -Looks touristic but wonderful place to do seasports and really resembles the Mediterranean.

Triberg - another lush town like Baden-Baden laid back against the Schwarzwald (Black Forest)

Last bout of travelling before mugging for exams

This will be my last time travelling because my exams are in 2.5 weeks time and its time to start studying, after which I have some days break before I receive another visit from Singapore. In 3 days, I did lots and seen lots with Seok, who's really an energnizer bunny I must say! I stepped onto Swiss soil for the first time, had grill for lunch facing the Bodensee (lake Constance), saw Germany's largest waterfall as well as the world's biggest Kuckucksuhr (cuckoo clock). The individual entries will be posted up during the course when which I get sick of studying in time to come.

Frankfurt Stock Exchange, European Central Bank, as well the Altstadt

2008-05-21T13:59:00.002+08:00

The Raffles Place of Germany

I realised that this blog has not been published and is part of the drafts. Clearly I had forgotten to do so. And there's another entry as well on Baden-Baden which I have not published.

Anyway, it was ironic that the first stock exchange I visited is not SGX but the Deutsche Börse at Frankfurt Am Main. And the first central bank that I visited was not MAS but the European Central Bank (ECB). Anyway this was part of a field trip organised by the Uni Mannheim for students who enroll in this course called German Financial Market, and the fee to go there was only 5€, so why not?

Börse Frankfurt (Stock Exchange Frankfurt)

Our first stop was at the Börse where we were given an introduction to the history of the stock exchange which was set up in 1585. And then we were introduced to the main operation and trading systems used at the Börse, the Xetra system.

That's our lecturer for the German financial market course

If you'd expected that the stock market is a place bursting with full of people screaming, 1 finger pointing at the screen while the other shoulder trying to clasp the telephone to take the latest quotes and bits and pieces of paper flying around, then you'd be very surprised... for this is what the working environment is really like. And its real, not staged where they get people to put up an act.

Indeed, with everything computerised, there's no need for so many people to stand there pointing fingers. It looks like its a great job to be here, judging from what the 2 guys above are doing!

The Bull and the Bear outside the stock market - representing financial market sentiments

The European Central Bank (ECB)

Like all central banks in the world, the ECB's primary task is to maintain price stability in the Eurozone and not let inflation escalate. However, judging from the inflation rates of the Eurozone over the past year, it seems that the ECB has not been doing its job well. This was also admitted by the spokesperson who gave us the talk at the ECB.

Unfortuantely we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the building. There's nothing to take anyway. The photo below with the big € sign is the European Central Bank. And they are going to expand into another building, which are at the moment under construction, soon.

The presentation at the ECB mainly focused on the history, evolution of the common currency as well as the role of the ECB. It was highly economic in nature so I think I would not want to bore anyone here into the details.

European Central Bank - in all of the official languages in the Eurozone

Frankfurt Altstadt (which isn't very alt actually)

Frankfurt is perhaps most well known as being the financial centre of Germany. But there is one enclave of the city which has a taste of the past, the Altstadt area from the Paulskirche to the Römerplatz. Actually this Altstadt is not very alt because the half timbered houses were actually replicas built about 25 years ago.

the river Main

1 side of the Römerplatz

the other side of the Römerplatz

Römer, with the Paulskirche on the right (not seen)

The Old and New

Walking along the streets of Frankfurt on a working day, we see people dressed up in blazers and ties, the feeling is just like a normal working day in Raffles Place. I draw parallels to what I see here, like the Opera House to perhaps the Victoria Theatre?

Typical street in Frankfurt, just like Shenton way

the oprea house

Like most financial cities where big banks try to outdo one another by competing to see who has the tallest skyscraper, as a result of that, Frankfurt am Main has a skyline. And I am very certain that it looks very beautiful at sunset, given all the pictures I have seen online or printed on the postcards there. Unfortunately we made our way back to Mannheim at 6pm where the sun was still shining. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to climb to one of the high towers one day and get a shot of the city as well as find out where the best spot to take a skyline photo is. The point is, while it is true that there is nothing much to see at Frankfurt, many people who arrive in Germany are likely to arrive in Frankfurt first. And I think its good to actually check out the place if you have like an hour or 2 to spare. Especially at night, around the Hauptbahnhofviertel, the quarters just outside the Hauptbahnhof, where the streets are burstling with redlight activities.

Facing the Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof, on the side where the redlight action is.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/29AprFrankfurtAmMain

Stuttgart

2008-05-21T03:53:00.015+08:00

A Benz Affair

As soon as I arrived in Stuttgart, I got the feeling that the Benz experience was going to be a huge part of the day trip. Even the Hauptbahnhof, which to me is tastelessly designed like a concentration camp, had a Mercedes Tower (as in the picture below). And if you climed up (well we took the lift) the tower, 10 storeys high, you'd actually get a view of the city, like from one of the shots below. The many people looked like ants from above walking through the burstling street, otherwise the main shopping street of Stuttgart, known as the Königstraße. (King's Street)

Das Mercedes-Benz Museum

After getting down the tower, instead of going straight into the city area, we took the S-Bahn instead to the Mercedes-Benz Museum since it closes at 6pm. The Museum was located some 10 minutes away from the city area so its not very far actually.

The exterior of the Museum. Reminds me of the Chinatown point where the levels are inclined, meaning there are no stairs.
Looks like a Flintstone car. Well its stone anyway.
The world first patented car operated by gasoline (1886). Noticed that there were only 3 tyres instead of 4.
The world first ommi-bus (1895)
Of all the cars I saw in the exhibition, I liked this one the most. It was gleaming and shining excerting an aura of luxury from all angles as I admired this car.

Mobile post office (1938)

Fire-fighting truck (1910)

The gallery of sport cars

Benz racing car (1900) - top speed 65 km/hr!

Stuttgart City Centre

After having enough of the museum, we headed back to the city centre. Because the museum was near the stadium and there was a match going on that day, it was terribly crowded and full of rowdy crowds. For some of the Singaporeans, it was their first time encountering such crowds during football matches. For the rest of us, we've pretty used to it and we also expect that later after the match end when we board the train back its gonna be full of crazy people or drunkards yelling and screaming at their top of their voices even in the trains.

Anyway Stuttgart city centre is not medieval as Heidelberg. There's no half-timbered houses, no old bridges, and even the Rathaus looks like the Hauptbahnhof (which is like a concentration camp). However, there is a part of Stuttgart that is very lush and laid back. That's the area of the palace gardens, and the Schloßplatz. (Palace Place), below:

As you can see, when the weather is sunny everyone likes to sit on the grass and watch the world go by. We had our lunch of Würste while baking ourselves under the sun on the grass too(after much searching, we almost wondered if the Stuttgarters actually eat cos the Königstraße was filled with boutiques but almost zero outlets selling food!)

Neues Schloß - New Palace

Altes Schloß - Old Palace

By the terribly contaminated lake in the Oberer Schlossgarten.

And so, the visitors are already gone. They left for Berlin, and should be in München now, after which their next stop is Paris. As for YT and her bf they should be on their Europe trip now. Now I can't wait for Thursday cos its a public holiday and I will travel to Freiburg im Breisgau to stay with Seok Hui over the weekend. She seems very excited about it and we have planned a lot of activities together!

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/19MayStuttgart

Besuch aus Singapur (Visit from Singapore)

2008-05-17T06:31:00.002+08:00

Woke up real early today at 4.30am to go to Frankfurt Airport to fetch 3 friends from Singapore, who will be putting up at Mannheim over the weekend. Right from the beginning it was an "extraordinary flight" and some unexpected surprises. Firstly, they paid for China eastern and got to sit into SQ instead! Secondly, Junda's baggage was lost and he got 60 Euros and some nice accessories as compensation on the spot - his backpack was delivered to my place the next day, and I got all the stuffs I wanted from Singapore intact. But the fact he earned 60 Euros and all got to sit SQ was already quite a good deal.

Wasting no time after leaving the luggage, I brought them to see the Wasserturm first - which I am quite ashamed to put the picture of Wasserturm which is like so ugly when you compare with Heidelberg scenery: (The following pictures were all from their cameras as I did not bring along mine)

It is this picture that captures every visitor who came to Heidelberg.

The visitors aus Singapur

Don't sit on the grass because you'd kill the flowers - that sounded quite "duh" to me.

Scandal and someone seems very happy about it...

Tomorrow we are going to Stuttgart. 8 people althogether, never had such a big group before for a long time.

Betrunken aber glücklich

2008-05-15T05:25:00.005+08:00

Das letzte Mal, dass ich auf Deutsch ins Blog eingetippt hae, war vor meiner Abreise nach Deutschland. Das letzte mal, dass ich mich echt betrunken hab, war auch vor meiner Abreise nach Deutschland. Nach 3 Monaten in Deutschland habe ich mich endlich betrunken, obwohl ich fast jede Nacht Alkohol verbrauche. Und das hab ich eigentlich ganz komisch gefunden, weil ich am Sonntag nicht so viel getrunken hab. Damit ist auch Jared einverstanden, denn wir waren am Anfang des Semesters beim PubCrawl und ich hab fast alle seiner und Valaries Shots genommen aber danach konnte ich noch vom Zimmer (kein Zimmer von mir, sondern der Club) nach meinem Zimmer (jetzt ist das echte Zimmer) laufen. Naja egal!

Obwohl ich am nächsten Tag einen schlimmen Kater gekriegt hab, ist jetzt bei mir alles in Ordnung. Zum Glück wurde ich nicht auf dem Hinterhof des Wohnheims gelassen. Und wegen meiner Bewusstlosigkeit nachdem ich mich betrunken hab mussten die anderen 3 Typen mich ins Zimmer tragen. Dafür bin ich sehr dankbar. Die haben daran viel gelitten, im besonderen ZR. Ich hab mich auf ihn viel erbrochen. Und die anderen 2 singapurischen Damen waren sehr verständnisvoll und humorvoll, obwohl die gesagt haben dass ich sie unbewusst "belästigt" hab!

Und es gibt einen Freund von Ian, der Trevor heißt. Wir haben zum ersten Mal beim Grill kennengelernt und ich finde ihn sehr nett. Der hat um mich gekrümmert, als ich fast betruken war. Es ist schade dass er jetzt weg ist, aber ich würde gern mit ihm im Kontakt bleiben. Vielleicht treffen wir in irgendwann in der Zukunft und ich werde sicherstellen, dass ich nicht so viel trinke bis ich mein Zimmer nicht mehr erkenne.

Grillen am Rhein (BBQ by the Rhine river)

2008-05-11T08:28:00.017+08:00

Das Grillfieber beginnt (The Grill fever begins)

Because the weather in Germany is getting close to Singapore's weather these days, it is not common to see 1) people topless suntanning 2) BBQ (or more fondly known as Grill here) everywhere where there is grass and a river. Everyone seems to be crazy about the weather, schönes Wetter (beautiful weather) as they call it, but for most of the Singaporeans we seem to be on the grumbling side that its back to Singapore's weather, our feet and shoes are starting to stink, houseflies are starting to appear, we did not bring enough tees and shorts here etc...

In 4 days, I had 3 grills (Thursday, today, and tomorrow) and I think I am fast losing count of the sausages I have eaten, the number of bottles of beer and alcohol drunk as well as the sticks of cigarettes smoked. Thursday was the Wohnheimgrill. Today was an international students grill by the Rhine river (a very important river in Germany, the same river which appeared on the deutsches Eck photo in Koblenz), and it was really crowded not only with people grilling meat but also topless grilling their bodies. The policemen were walking around issuing fines to people who did not adhere to the rules because there were designated areas just for grilling and for some areas, bbq-ing is not allowed because of environmental purposes. (The Germans are very particular about this; sometimes it can get really stupid, like in this case because you may ask, what does a few metres of distance from the legal spot has to do to affect the environment?)

Present: Claire (France), Thibaut (France), Ivelina (Bulgaria)

Nicolas (Sweden), Lucrezia (Italy), Gaspard (France)Workin on the grill The ladies

The humble Thibaut is an expert in wine, as well as unconventional ways of opening wine bottles. That's French red wine.. and not tomato ketchup although it looks like one.

Pastis - A French delight: 45% alcohol

The picture says for itselfSunset at the River Rhine, and the bridge that links Ludwigshafen and Mannheim

Eine internationale Präsenz (An international presence)

I would say that although almost half of us there were French, the lingua franga was however not English but German, since all of us knew that we wanted to improve our German. And it was a great evening. I learnt alot, especially from Thibaut about which French wines are good and so on, as well as it was the first time that I drank Pastis, that tasted real great, almost like the German Jägermeister but one would drink Pastis with cold water or ice cubes and although its 45%, it does not taste so. It tastes scentful, unbitter, and it does not make you drunk at all after repeated dosages. To hell with Vodka or Terquila. In Europe there's no place for these kinda crap drinks. And its available only in French shops or in France. And with the common monetary union in Europe, there's no need to pay extra taxes when you carry it across the border. Something which will probably never exist in economically outward looking Singapore.

Tomorrow (Sunday) findet der singapurische Grill statt. (The Singapore Grill takes place tomorrow). We are more or less prepared to do our government proud and get drunk tomorrow, as the pictures that will be taken tomorrow will show...

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/10MayGrillAmRhein

Koblenz and Trier again

2008-05-10T08:10:00.008+08:00

More of Koblenz this time

Exactly 4 weeks ago I was in Koblenz. Because I did not see the most important thing I wanted to see then, I was determined to see it again. And therefore when Pan Yu asked me online if I was interested I jumped at the opportunity. The last time when I was in Koblenz I was there only for an hour and only managed to see parts of the Altstadt around Löhrstraße.

I won't usually take this kind of dumb photos myself; it was only upon her instigation.

Festung Ehrenbreitstein (Fortress Ehrenbereitstein)

On the other side of the Rhine river, from the side of the Altstadt you could see the highly elevated Festung Ehrenbreitstein in the picture below. Actually the site of the Festung was originally used as a site to build a castle during the time 1000AD. But during the late 18th century, Koblenz was an area of tension between the French and Prussian (At that time there existed no Germany as a country yet) armies, and Koblenz came under the French conquest in the 1790s. However, when the French left the place in 1801, the castle was destroyed. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the Rhineland area became controlled by the Prussians. And as a result, because of past attacks by the French, the development of a strong military fortress was of utmost importance. As a result the Festung was improved.

Indeed it was a very tiring way up to climb to the Festung, although there were rides up, we actually walked the hard way, through tunnels and winding paths up the forest, before reaching the mightly Festung where it was so big that when we got in, we were almost lost since all the doors and walls looked about the same!

However, it was worth the 2 hour walk and hike from the Hauptbahnhof without any form of transport at all the way up in order to get the view above. Now we begin to understand the importance of the Festung then and the direction where the Koblenz would most likely be attacked from. The view that we see above is of course at the side of the Altstadt where we started, as well as the Deutsches Eck (German corner). This is a very beautiful view where the Rhine river (on which the boat is riding on) joins the Mosel River. However more importantly is that the historical significance of the Deutsches Eck in the course of German's historical turmoil especially during the 20th century after WWII.

Das deutsche Eck (The German corner)

After decending from the Festung we went straight to the Deutsches Eck. As you can see in the picture below, the German national flag is at the tip of the corner.

And from the corner, we face the statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the statesman (together with Bismarck), who was responsible for the rise of Prussia during the mid 19th century as well as the unification of Germany. The other flags are the flags of the other German Bundesländer (Federal States).

Actually the statue of the Kaiser Wilheim I was a replica of the original one which was damaged during the WWII. It was however, reerrected only after 1990, after the final German reunification with the fall of the Berlin wall. During the period of West Germany, the Deutsches Eck was however a symbol of the West German politican (I cannot remember his name now) to show his desire and quest for a unified Germany. In fact it was also mentioned that with the fall of the Berlin wall, there are 3 parts of the wall which are installed at the statue. You could see the wall surround the statue, I am not sure if these are parts of the Berlin wall. But what was along the walls were all the 16 coat of arms of the Bundesländer.

Although the re-errection of the statue was thought of by some people that it would send out the wrong message, however the intention is very much different. Instead of sending signals of German aggressiveness, the Deutsches Eck can perhaps be, in my personal opinion from the two humble years of studying German history for 'A' Levels in JC, a symbol of understanding German history from a simple corner as well as acknowledging Wilheim I as being the "founder" of modern Germany. The period after 1871 when Germany was unified was never a period of aggression as compared to Wilheim I's successor: Wilheim II - The guy who ultimately broke all of Bismark's complicated web of diplomacy with the other European powers, which Bismarck tried hard to preserve after 1871.

The view of the Eck from the statue, how Kasier Wilhelm I would see it.

The Mosel Valley

As I mentioned in the earlier blog post about Koblenz and Trier, the ride between these 2 cities were extremely beautiful because the train would travel along the route of the Mosel river as well as past the Mosel valleys. This is probably the most beautiful part of Rhineland, and the patches you see along the hills are acutally vineyards, from which grapes are harvested and wine produced. In fact, the Rhineland is the area where the bulk, and the best prestigious German wines are produced. And harvesting would take place around late September period where the wine festivals will be held in this region.

Also, along the Mosel route from Koblenz to Trier, most of the many stops in between such as Moselkern (where the hiking route to the mysterious Castle Eltz begins) as well as Cochem are quiet, non-touristic towns but very beautiful places which I would really want to visit but did have the time. I must cover these 2 places one day!

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/9MayKoblenz2

On a Thursday after school around the neighbourhood...

2008-05-09T03:29:00.021+08:00

Carnival at neuer Messplatz

Many times better than any carnival in Singapore, for the rides are much more thrilling and of course dangerous. Jared and I withnessed first hand how parts of this machine below actually dropped out of the main body during operation!

I tried the one above where the people seemed to be flying in all directions, it looked really thrilling from here but actually it turned out to be pretty boring.

Airwolf -this one made people puke and they gotta use a water hose to wash the seats after that!

Haunted House

Another one of the rides where they start you off horizontal and then the wheel goes up vertically.

Real ponies

Stall selling BEEER

Stall like the above selling sweets and other forms of confectionary are very common, especially common and popular is the Lebkuchen below - Gingerbread.

Du bist mein süßes Herzchen - You are my sweetie pie
Ich bin total verrückt nach Dir - I am totally mad about you
Ich denke nur noch an Dich - I still tink about you only

[Notice there are 3 ways of writing "You" in German, depending on which case - Du, Dich, Dir. One of the many nightmares of the German language]

So what happens is that people (girls usually) who receive this kinda Lebkuchen will wear them around their neck like a jewellery chain. And its something probably to be proud about walking around like that.

That German gal in green was trying to be in the limelight.

Wohnheimgrill (Hostel BBQ)

After we came back from the carnival we went to the back of our hostel where there was a Wohnheimgrill going on. Apparently this BBQ was an initiative by some of the hostel tutors in an effort to integrate Germans and international Students, but it was very obvious that most of the people there were international students.

Here's how the back view of the hostel looks, facing the canal, and across the other side is well, a small ugly industrial island further which behind is Ludwigshafen, another industrial mess. I am quite surprised to even see white swans in the canal sometimes.

Typical German Grill - Sausages

My coursemate in German language as well as my neighbour who lives directly above me from Norway.

The weather is starting to get really hot these days. Not like the weather 2 years ago in May when I arrived the first time in my life in Germany on 13 May 2006. I remembered it was 10 degrees this time then. Now the weather is becoming more like Singapore's weather.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/8MayCarnivalAndBBQ

Strasbourg (Straßburg)

2008-05-03T03:22:00.009+08:00

Prochain arrêt: Strasbourg (Next stop: Strasbourg)

This is a long overdue post of Strasbourg which I visited on the 12 April. Strasbourg is a city that lies in the Alsace region of France, and is well known not only because of tourism but also because of its importance of the location of the European Parliament. However, the metropolitan area, or the core of the city turned out to be quite small and walkable such that we completed the main area of the city much faster than we expected.

The photo above is a picture of the Gare de Strasbourg (Strasbourg train station). The outer shell reminded me of the Allianz Arena stadium in München, or the Esplanade back home. However, it is quite obvious that this glass shell was an add on to the inside, because once you have passed through the glass enclosure, you would see the actual station. But nevertheless I thought it was a really beautiful design.

La Petite Alsace, Le Petite France

Petite France is a quarter in Strasbourg that is notably the most beautiful area of Strasbourg in my opinion although some will testify against. What is prominent here is that you see lots of Fachwerkhäuser (half timbered houses), making you wonder if you are really in France or Germany.

Actually its nothing surprising, considering the location of Strasbourg and the Alsace region, which is at the border to Germany. In fact, Strasbourg and Germany is seperated by the river Rhine, and Strasbourg is accessible from the German town of Kehl by walking over the river through a bridge. And more importantly, if you consider the history of Alsace region or Strasbourg, it has changed hands frequently between claims of Germany and France. Also, since the Frankish empire from the 3rd to 10th century, Strasbourg has been heavily influenced by Germanic culture.

Quai de la petite France

Because of its picturesque setting, most of the people who were there were tourists, mostly German tourists, not surprisingly. And if we were to translate petite France, it would mean something like small France or something along the line. However, it turns out that the origin of the name petite France was that this area used to be flooded with prostitutes who worked here during the middle ages, and some of the Fachwerkhäusern could well be possibly brothels. And it was here that the syphillis was so often contracted such that the syphillis came to termed as the French disease.

However, there are no more brothels, at least explicitly running brothels, today as well as no signs of streetwalkers. What we see on the streets are however, painters painting the scene as well as peddling their art works. Also a lot of cafes lined up along the canals.

Barrage Vauban

The Barrage Vauban (Vauban dam) is a wall which was built in the 17th century. We climbed up to the terrance and was welcomed with the beautiful pananoramic sight below.

From here we are actually facing petite France

Charmaine: Boon Song, I put the map in your bag ah.
BS: You wanna put the map in my bag?
Charmaine: In the side pocket ok? U want it u tell me. I help u take.
BS: I think I should be able to reach it.

Grande Île de Strasbourg (lit: Grand Island of Strasbourg)

The Grande Île de Strasbourg is actually a historic centre in the core of the main city area. It was classifed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. One of the main highlights of this historic centre is of course the Strasbourg Cathedral.

The cathedral was completed in 1439 and was the world tallest church until 1880.

The main feature of the church is undoubtly the astronomical clock. The clock is known to be highly accurate as its time of construction and its complicated functions was truly a marvel.

French pastries at the historic centre. The small petite cutes ones cost 3.60€ each. Actually such French pastries are common place around Alsace, like the last time when we were at Wissembourg we also saw many shops selling such snacks.

The French train that took us from Strasbourg back to Wissembourg where we changed to the German train to return home. It seemed that this French train appeared to run on diesel instead of electricity.

We completed our exploration of Strasbourg in a much shorter time than anticipated. Basically we saw the main things less the European Parliament, but I would say that Strasbourg is perhaps worth a day trip and just that. Thankfully Mannheim is not that far from Strasbourg.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/12AprStrasbourg

Thingstätte at Heidelberg

2008-05-02T04:34:00.011+08:00

Heidelberg beim Abendrot (Heidelberg at sunset)

Gorgeous. This is enough to describe the view of both sides of the neckar river, the Philosophenweg on one side and the Altstadt on the other. Although Heidelberg is only 20minutes away from Mannheim, one looked like paradise, the other looked like an industrial leftover. While I have been to Heidelberg a couple of times already, this is the first time that I came here during sunset at 9pm. Yes, thats how it looked at 9pm here, because we are into the summer season while the sun set late.

The side of the Philosophenweg, a route that cuts through the hill at the middle lower part, just slightly above the houses. The neckar river

The side of the Altstadt and Schloß

Walpurgisnacht in der Heidelberger Thingstätte

The Walpurgisnacht, or Hexennacht (witches night), as it is called here, takes place on the night of the 30th April here. It was believed that witches would hold a huge celebration on the Blocksberg mountain in the north of Germany during this night to welcome spring. As a result, it has become a tradition to celebrate this night with a big bonfire.

In Heidelberg, the Thingstätte, an amphitheatre which was built in the 1930s by the Nazis for their rally purposes hidden within the hill above the Philosophenweg.

The Thingstätte could hold a capacity of up to 20000 people, and this is how it looked like on a normal day.

As a result, it was natural for people to think of using this place as a celebration. And so everyone made their way up to hill in the dark when the sun set. It was quite a difficult walk up as visibility was practically nothing. Back to the army days at night when we had field exercises.

When we finally reached the Thingstätte after about 1 hour of hiking up the hill, this is what we saw. Everyone was partying, dancing, getting drunk, playing with fire, as well as bbqing.

The huge bonfire at the centre stage of the Thingstätte

Some interesting observations

Such an event reminded me of an aspect of the deutschen Volkskultur (German folk culture). Long hikes up hills or castles perched on hilltops through forests with friends has always been an aspect of such a culture that has existed since centuries ago, even before the unification of Germany in 1871. Today such practices are still common even among the young. Of course, despite the tiring walk up, everyone was singing and drinking along the way. Some people were already drunk even before they reached the Thingstätte. And more importantly, people were hiking up the hill with heavy crates of bottles of beer. I remember someone saying that he was totally gone after all that alcohol that he did not remember how he managed to find himself at the bottom of the hill the next morning.

Another very interesting observation is the way some guys there conduct their bbq. It was so primitive that they used twigs to stick their sauages and cook the meat!

http://picasaweb.google.com/vintagebin/30AprThingstTteAtHeidelberg