Monday, August 29, 2005

Something weird happened today. Well actually surprisingly a few weird things have been happening in my life now I am a total freak who doesn't talk to ANYBODY for days at a time. Onto todays weird thing.
Was walking to the PC pool near uni, as part of my new study regime, when I meet the eyes of a woman I vaguely recognise from one of my classes. I smile, she smiles back, weird thing number one, normally people who have classes together here don't deign to recognise each other outside of those classses, let alone a whole month after classes have finished. Then she actually speaks to me!!!!
...
(I'll give you all a minute to get over the shock)
...
She remembers that I come from Australia and am therefore an Englisch Mutter Spracherin. She wants me to look over her final paper, and correct the English bits. I am so surprised I say yes so we go to a cafe, she buys me a coke, and I look over the parts of her essay which are in English. (The whole thing must have been about 200 pages, which I had a heart attack over thinking I would be there all day, but luckily was only about 2 pages in total. The German system is really evil).
Anyway it is mostly fine, I give her a couple of suggestions and then we chat for a bit while we wait for the waitress.
Germans are weird.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Finally decided to post these photos of Dad and my recent trip to Thessaloniki. It is in northern Greece, a port right on the Aegean Sea.It was very hot, we drank plenty of Ouzo, and ate lots of fish (something you are better not to do in both Berlin and Bucharest). We also played pot luck trying to decipher Greek, not something I was particularly good at, "we had that round one in maths, what was that?" We spent the Saturday wandering round taking in the 'sights' (old ruins of buildings and former wall, Greeks not so good with the signage). We wanted to take a day trip to an island on Sunday, but unfortunately it was a Greek long weekend so everything was booked out. However, because I was determined to try out my new bathers we took a local bus to a beach about an hour away. We hired a beach umbrella and two sunchairs so I felt just like a real German tourist.














Dad looking cheery Forest Gump style as we wait for a bus in the middle of nowhere to get back to Thesso. (It finally turned up just as we were thinking we may have to check into the local beachside resort and try our luck with all the naked sunburnt Germans).














Street art, old Greek neighbourhood style.















This is our lunch when we ventured to a place much beloved of my dad namely 'where the tourists don't usually go'. Despite evidence this may be because there is actually nothing to see, he remains undetered. After walking around in the sweltering heat to find the Old Town, where "lots of lovely tavernas, with ouzo" were rumoured to exist, we stumbled on this place. There was no menu and they spoke very minimal English, leaving us to resort to our printed-from-the-internet-language-help-sheet, but the food was really nice. It is always a bit discomforting when you are walking around the backstreets of a small Greek neighbourhood, peering at a map, and little old ladies actually laugh at you for being there.














This is some random gate thingy, it looks old. We had no idea. Tourism in actual Thesso doesn't seem to be huge, we couldn't find out much information about anything, I don't think it helped we were there over a long weekend.







These two lovely photos are of Dad and I on top of the White Tower in Thessaloniki. This seems to be the premier tourist attraction there, apparently it is the Thesso version of the Bastille or something. Is not actually white. Not sure why they are so mini.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Have been having a better day today. Finally found something to tie my essay together. Managed to cross a number of things of my list, including sending off an application in which I have to enclose cash ( I was told to wrap cash in alfoil to avoid detection, apparently this is to avoid it being x-rayed and then stolen, although surely the weird sound it makes when you move it would be give away enough). Finally settled my leaving here plans, and put an ad on the internet for my room. - Am a bit scared about people ringing up and enquiring in German, but never mind, will fob them off by repeating sehr schoen, and nodding and smiling into the phone.
Also picked up my photos, I think they are a case in point as to why I need a digital camera. Ability to check quality straight away and delete, delete! There is a corker of Charlotte I will put up here though.
Anyway, some friends of mine have a photo blog of stuff here too, and they can actually take good photos, if you wanna check some Berlin out arty style go here.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Food. In my current blogging frenzy I have been eyeing off Twisty's delicious looking meals. They are in direct contrast to anything I actually manage to concoct for myself. Today in the super market I spotted some turnips, and being directed by my shopping list to buy 'dinner' I decided they were just the thing. Unfortunately the inspiration ran out there. The best I could come up with was sauteeing them. (sp?) And you know 'sautee' just means 'fry' in fancy talk don't you. They better be healthy or something.
Also I think I am putting on weight, not as much as when I was in Vietnam and forced to eat all of Lachie's food for him when he was sick. Am holding out to meet up with James so he can tell I'm fat.
In other news;
-Two of my fav Berlin institutions have begun letting me down. The Kabaps at my local Kebapery have gone up to 2EUR from 1,49!
-And my new-fav-cafe(tm) has turned into a den of wankers.
Also my arse is sore from sitting on my bed pretending to write my essay, when really playing with my blog, finding new blogs to read, and dipping into Harry Potter und der Orden des Phoenix which finally turned up yesterday.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

I have to steal Stewgad's analogy of the Mind Puppy today (well any day really). I started work on essay before 3pm which is a major world record, I never work during the day. This was interspersed with calling of hostel in Copenhagen to book a bed there for end of August. Then I deleted a few sentences which were clearly bullshit. Then I edited my To Do list, which strangely does not include 3 essays. Then I typed in a quote. Then my nail file caught my eye so I did a little filing, completely unnecessary since it catches my eye almost every time I am at my desk, so my nails are the smoothest things you have ever seen. Then I typed a sentence about Vorticism which I needed to reference out of one of my books. On reaching over to pile of books encountered box of face masks which my housemate gave me before she left for Canada. Perfect! Went into bathroom to apply said face mask. Came back and actually typed page no. into paragraph. Thought of Mind Puppy analogy and searched through archives to find it. Thought briefly about including a discussion in essay about how the feminine could ever really be privileged, or if it is irretrievably discredited and dismissed. Typed this post. Next up; examining face in mirror for possible blemishes.
Ahhh...this is the life.
Ok, because I cannot help myself, and am able to be distracted after every sentence I write, I will now post some photos from out recent trip to Romania. They are just from my Dad's phone, but I put my disposable camera in for developing today, so if there are any good ones on that I will scan them in.


Some random tram, no idea where or what it is, one for Guy.


I took this one for Nick and Lachie, it is the architecture faculty at the University of Romania, or maybe the University if Bucharest, I have no idea. Anyway, it looked really cool at the time, now it just looks like a boring building.


This is a view from the Palace of Parliament. The building itself was originally called House of the People and was commissioned by Ceausescu. It is the second biggest building in the world and a masterpiece of fascist architecture, along with this boulevade which is longer than the Champs Elysees, the construction of which meant a whole suburb had to be destroyed. In the first two years of construction (before Ceausescu was killed), it cost 40% of the entire country's GDP.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Meanwhile, who sent me a business card to my phone of my own details? It is weirding me out. It can't have been some vodaphone money generating ploy because it contained my Berlin mobile no., my Australian mobile no., my landlines to Fitzroy and East Melbourne and this blog address. However, not my old blog, or my parents no. or my email. Also I figure it was from Australia but was sent before 8am there.
Maybe it's not so exciting, or as big a mystery as I am finding while I sit here with my earplugs in trying to hammer out some bullshit about H.D.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

You lot in Melbourne have now missed the window. I hope you are all having nightmares about FORGETTING MY BIRTHDAY! (there are several honorable notable exceptions xx)
Was speaking to my housemate last night, after we had shamefully both watched Sarah Conner's reality show here, Sarah and Marc in Love, Hochzeit des Jahres (think Newlyweds but one of them can't speak English, (well in this case German)). Anyway, we both had the theme song "I just started being bad" stuck in our heads, and I commented as much, and she laughed and said in Germany they say you have an Ohrwurm or 'Earworm'. Which is much cooler than English, and one of the few times you can say something in German in less words than you can in English.
I like, I like.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Had a lovely day today, managed to borrow books from two different libraries, print from the evil hell-hole that is the PC-Pool, and even have a coffee at what I have designated as my new favourite cafe. But WTF is this all about? (link only good for a few days)
Where's my summer!

Thursday, August 04, 2005


Ok so this is the last CSD photo, a friend just emailed it to me today and I couldn't resist.
Just thought to google Brokeback Mountain and realised I have read the original story a few years ago. Dammit why does everything have to end in tears?
Omigod. Am procrastinating like crazy today. Hence refurbishment of blog. Also I have done the requisite room cleaning and desk ordering. I look really professional now with all my books standing up on my desk and so forth, if I only had my camera I'd take a picture.
I think the problem is, I have already read a bit over the topic but now can't remember it, so am having to reread and take notes and it's just not as fun the second time. Maybe I should just reread the novel, it is totally fantastic HERmione by H.D. but I can't think of a good essay topic either which I think is a big part of the problem.
Also, Freud eugh!
I think I need to come back to Melbs to have coffee with Alice in Black Pearl.
'nuff said.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

WTF is with Charmed at the moment? I watched it tonight, purely for study purposes (to improve my German), and all my old favorites were there. First off I see Cordy (ex-Buffy) in the credits, then Nick Lachey (or however you spell his name, of Newlyweds fame) seems to be Phoebe's new love interest. And then, Jack from Dawson's Creek! What is going on! Are there not enough C-grade actors to fill the ranks these days?