Alrighty, so, another day, another post. If you've noticed how I tend to start my posts like this, it's because I need a few lines to compose myself and organize my thoughts. It's like a speech, only electronic and I can't see to whom I am speaking or their reactions.
How bout we start this entry out with what's on my mind at the moment. One, physical education and I do NOT mix. (My elbow, hip, and head are reminding me of this right now.) Long story short, I started Fitness in school today, and I slipped and fell on my side, banging all of the above mentioned body parts against the hard wood floor while I was at it. I got back up, and after a bit, kept going. Then I managed to hit MYSELF in the head with a rubber ball. But wait, it gets better...
Though the accidental self-infliction of injuries was over, the instructor had to take it further by having us learn how to juggle. Yes, that's right. JUGGLE. In no way, shape, or form; in no point in my life; in no alternate universe; can I possibly come close to being able to attain the skill of juggling. So basically the picture was me standing there, sweating, hair a bit messy, holding juggling balls in my hand, thinking, uh-uh, nope, ich kann das nicht machen. (Oh, I tried of course.) Aber neh, ich kann das nicht machen, lol. You know, Bella Swan was considered a klutz, but she has NOTHING on me. (And no, I am not endorsing Twilight or any works of Stephanie Mayer, all rights reserved, copywrite prohibited.)
Two, now that the sun is gracing us with it's occasional presence, I can tell when it sets here, and I have to say, it is WAY too early.
Three, I am going to be one of the worst examples of a typical college student ever. I will not stay out late partying, and I will drink non-alcoholic beverages. (Because I'm just strange that way.)
Four, Rosetta Stone is most likely going to scream at me when I finish this entry and work on that again. R.S., I would like to formally apologize for my behavior as of late. I have neglected our relationship, and you have every right to be angry with me. But please, don't take back the software, lol. (If your name happens to have these initials, I would also like you to know that this is absolutely NOT directed towards you in any way... but I would be interested to know if there happens to be the coincidence, hahaha.)
Five, I had one of the craziest Saturdays one can have without going to Vegas. Read on before you judge. Day started out normal. Went to a Japan Festival in Berlin to see the Taiko drummers with a couple of exchange student friends. (I've been to the Nisei Week Parade in Little Tokyo in LA several times with my Dad and Brother, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed my Lil' Tokyo. I'm from the LA area, we sometimes speak that way, lol.) Then we went to an Irish pub/restaurant afterward to catch up. I got home around six using public transportation (s-bahn and bus), and this is where the crazy begins...
My host sister's birthday was Sunday, so she had a party with two other girls whose birthdays are also around that time. The party was fun, but I really just cannot function past 12:30 in the morning. I left around 1:30 with a few friends in the hope that I could get home and just go to sleep. But fate had other plans.... On a bus on the way home, a fight nearly broke out because this one (probably intoxicated) man got the strange idea into his head that one of the guys from our party was part of a gang because of the color of his scarf. We managed to escort the man off the bus, but not before the bus driver had called the police. The police showed up, and we sat and waited until they were done interviewing the people involved. By the time I got home, it was 4:30am, and I was beyond exhausted. On the up-side, I won a solitaire game on my phone while we waited for the police to finish. Hahaha :)
Six, the birds are coming back to the area as the weather gets a bit warmer. I can hear them in the morning, before the sun's up. It's so nice to hear the sound again. (Sidenote: No, I am not going soft, I am just appreciating things for what they are. I have analyzed Snow White, and while I have not yet isolated the exact reason for it, I have come to the conclusion that something is not right behind those big brown eyes... If I did not mention this beforehand, let me say it now: Please to not read my blog to your children if you think they will be upset by my attacking Disney characters with logic; I'm likely to do this a few more times before the year is out. I simply cannot help myself.)
Seven, authors are cruel. Yes, some are kind enough to weave an intricate plot and to create intriguing characters to carry it out. And then, they have their fun by pulling their readers right and left in a sometimes-exhilarating, sometimes-terrifying ride to get to the end, the finale, the conclusion, the resolution. Now, I'm not saying that every story should have a definitive conclusion and resolution. I have come to find that many short stories are even better for leaving the reader with certain unanswered questions. (For example, the thoughts that stayed with me after finishing Dracula still pop up in my head once every now and then. Oh, and DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to read this book at night. This is not some kind of reverse psychology statement; I sincerely care about your mental state. For those of you who ignore my warning, I will not speak to you when you happen to be up freaking out at two in the morning and I happen to be online because of the time difference, so there.)
Back to authors... ah, yes, stories without a conclusion. Allow me to phrase my next few ideas in the form of a statement to authors: As a reader, I dedicate my time and my imagination to books. I read quite avidly, glancing at the clock and then reading just one more page, just one more chapter.. I wait as patiently as I can for the next book in a series to be released. And when finally the last book comes out, I savor it, just like the dessert after some tasty meal. So, my dear authors, I pose to you this question: why have you created world and woven these complex scenarios and problems, so tangled and interlocking it sometimes requires pen and paper to keep it all straight, and then build and build upon it like some great structure, reaching for the sky, all to chop it off at the top? As a reader, I implore you not to create problems in your literature to which you have no possible solution. Because, trust me, if we do not do our characters and our stories justice, someone else will...
Well, seven's supposedly lucky, so I'll end off here. Was lovely just ranting like that. I wonder if that's part of what makes a writer, his ability to rant... oops! different tangent, lol. Better go before I'm tempted to write about any other random topic!! Tha' gerl wot has tha' convers, pa'in' 'er respec' t' won a' them books ;)
9.1.11
Finnland?
Okay, so here's an interesting story for ya: One day not too long ago we were all sitting in Deutsch class, just chilling, because the teacher is nice like that. :) The only real downside that I can come up with for that period is that I sit right in front of the door. And no, this is not figurative. I literally am squashed between my table and the only door leading in and out of the room. Yeah, great seating arrangement, lol.
Anyway, back to the story... So occassionally the teacher has the students play a game where one will try to go around the room and say the name of all the others. I'm new, which would usually make me the most forgettable, save for the fact that I am also a foreign exchange student, and therefore somewhat exotic, lol. (I'm talking about personality, not looks here, people :P) On this particular day, a boy sitting across the room from me attempted this task of naming everyone. Naturally, he had to start with me. At first I didn't get this, but then as the girl sitting next to me began to pat my shoulder and look at me with a sympathetic and somewhat amused expression on her face, I got it: this dude had forgotten my name.
I sat up straiter in my seat and crossed my arms, attempting (and failing) to smile at this guy. I just find it so amusing how the discomfort that sometimes comes with being the new kid (and a foreigner!) had been completely switched around. The tables had turned, so to speak, and I have to say I enjoyed seeing the apologetic look on his face. Finally someone else remembered my name and whispered it to him, and you would think that that would be the end of the matter. But no.
(I am taking liberties as a writer to edit the next thing that I said so that I use correct German grammar. This is for my pride, thank you very much.) "Aus?" I posed the question. He definitely struggled with that a bit; no one on his side of the room had gotten to know me enough to know that. "Aus... Finnland?!" Yeap, that pretty much sent me, and the rest of the class, into a wave of uncontrollable laughter. Random guy in Deutsch class, you just made my week :D
And now for something completely different! I would like to personally file a complaint against Apple's spedometer feature for iPods. I've taken to walking places a lot, so I decided to use my iPod to track how much. It claimed that I walked just over 1,000 steps, and that I only burned about a hundred calories!! Well, it probably didn't take into account the heavy backpack I was lugging. Hmmm, and here we come again to the swallow-and-coconut conundrum...
There is one thing I need to say to all my fellow Americans. My people, our pretzels are no match for those made in Germany, and neither is our chocolate. It's time that we move on and work toward a better future, one in which we all suck it up and beg our friends in Germany to send us these wonderful foods.
I think I'll add one last thing before I sign off for now. My school has three stories, and the building is laid out so that most of the classrooms have an entire wall of just windows. This can be pleasant, what with the natural light, but NOT when someone from across the room decides to open the window to let in the freezing cold air directly behind YOU. For future reference, the best thing to do in this situation is suck it up and bring a jacket, lol. As a side-note, I've seen these notices on the windows, and I'm pretty sure that they're warning you not to fall out of the window... Yeah... We live in interesting times. :)
Thanks to y'all for reading!! TGWTC, aus Finnland ;) jk, I'm American, we all know that.
Anyway, back to the story... So occassionally the teacher has the students play a game where one will try to go around the room and say the name of all the others. I'm new, which would usually make me the most forgettable, save for the fact that I am also a foreign exchange student, and therefore somewhat exotic, lol. (I'm talking about personality, not looks here, people :P) On this particular day, a boy sitting across the room from me attempted this task of naming everyone. Naturally, he had to start with me. At first I didn't get this, but then as the girl sitting next to me began to pat my shoulder and look at me with a sympathetic and somewhat amused expression on her face, I got it: this dude had forgotten my name.
I sat up straiter in my seat and crossed my arms, attempting (and failing) to smile at this guy. I just find it so amusing how the discomfort that sometimes comes with being the new kid (and a foreigner!) had been completely switched around. The tables had turned, so to speak, and I have to say I enjoyed seeing the apologetic look on his face. Finally someone else remembered my name and whispered it to him, and you would think that that would be the end of the matter. But no.
(I am taking liberties as a writer to edit the next thing that I said so that I use correct German grammar. This is for my pride, thank you very much.) "Aus?" I posed the question. He definitely struggled with that a bit; no one on his side of the room had gotten to know me enough to know that. "Aus... Finnland?!" Yeap, that pretty much sent me, and the rest of the class, into a wave of uncontrollable laughter. Random guy in Deutsch class, you just made my week :D
And now for something completely different! I would like to personally file a complaint against Apple's spedometer feature for iPods. I've taken to walking places a lot, so I decided to use my iPod to track how much. It claimed that I walked just over 1,000 steps, and that I only burned about a hundred calories!! Well, it probably didn't take into account the heavy backpack I was lugging. Hmmm, and here we come again to the swallow-and-coconut conundrum...
There is one thing I need to say to all my fellow Americans. My people, our pretzels are no match for those made in Germany, and neither is our chocolate. It's time that we move on and work toward a better future, one in which we all suck it up and beg our friends in Germany to send us these wonderful foods.
I think I'll add one last thing before I sign off for now. My school has three stories, and the building is laid out so that most of the classrooms have an entire wall of just windows. This can be pleasant, what with the natural light, but NOT when someone from across the room decides to open the window to let in the freezing cold air directly behind YOU. For future reference, the best thing to do in this situation is suck it up and bring a jacket, lol. As a side-note, I've seen these notices on the windows, and I'm pretty sure that they're warning you not to fall out of the window... Yeah... We live in interesting times. :)
Thanks to y'all for reading!! TGWTC, aus Finnland ;) jk, I'm American, we all know that.
1.1.11
The Aftermath
So the holidays are finally over, and what are we left with? Empty champaign glasses, leftover party snacks, a colossal mess of streamers and burnt-out firework remnants, and plenty of memories :) As with all celebrations, the aftermath leaves us with a somewhat bittersweet feeling brought on by the promise of a return to school and work, but we hang on to the great moments we had. (I am rather stubborn on this point. I still have birthday cards in a box under my bed at home from two years ago!)
I've been around for three major celebrations since I wrote last: Christmas, my 17th Birthday, and New Year's. (auf Deutsch: Weihnachten, mein 17te Geburtstag, und Silvester) How about we start from the top and work our way down then, shall we? (I promise to add in little trivial events in-between, lol)
For Christmas, we baked bread like my Grandmother used to make. It was really tasty, and my host family enjoyed it, which was a definite plus. The bread itself ends up being in the shape of a Christmas tree, with candied cherries for ornaments on the branches. It felt sooo unbelieveably good to be able to share traditions with my host family and have them share their holidays with me in return.
Christmas was fairly quiet, with us exchanging gifts at home after having a meal together. My host sister and I clung obstinately to our conviction that a Christmas tree should be inside and decorated for Weihnachten, else it's just an evergreen, barely above a fern in ranking, when you think about it. So on Christmas morning (the 24th, in Deutschland), we brought it inside, dried it off, and got it all ready for it's debut as a bonafeid Christmas tree with glass baubles and ornaments. I have to say, it looked like one happy tree!
My birthday was also pretty quiet. My host sister and I got haircuts. God, I didn't realize how badly I needed a haircut until I took a serious look and realized that it was around three to four inches longer!! And anyone who has long hair will know how nice it feels to have a professional wash your hair and then cut and style it. Oh, so that's another first to add to my list. I have now, officially, gotten a haircut in a different country. How many people can say that? :)
Later that evening we went to a Greek restaurant for someone else's birthday which had been the day before. I've started to notice a pattern here... many Greek and Asian restaurants--along with lots of pizza joints!! And then there's the places where they serve Eis. Those places drive me just about over the edge because it's negative ten outside and they're serving ice cream!! And it's delicious because it's from Europe and not like that stuff we get at our siblings' baseball games from the man with a cart which is decked out with bells to make it impossible to ignore. I don't think that bells is the correct word, really. Glocken might be more appropriate, given that they have a certain inharmonious quality which appeals to the more impatient side of one's nature. In short, it makes me want to start a conversation as to why exactly a less discordant noisemaker cannot be selected.
The last major event of last year, and the first of this year, for that matter, was New Year's. I actually like the German word for this time better than the English one. Silvester sounds bright and new, and well, more sparkly, which is what New Year's stands for. The bright, new, and yes, even shiny beggining. One of the major differences between my home and Berlin is that, here, bottle rockets are legal, lol. Yeap, almost like when I happened to be in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day, hahaha!
Well, that pretty much wraps up the last of my 2010! Come to think of it, I can't really believe that I've spent half of it in Deutschland!! How time flies :) TGWTC, signing off! P.S. I need to remember to write about Miss Sophie's 90 Geburstag oder Dinner for One in my next entry, lol.
I've been around for three major celebrations since I wrote last: Christmas, my 17th Birthday, and New Year's. (auf Deutsch: Weihnachten, mein 17te Geburtstag, und Silvester) How about we start from the top and work our way down then, shall we? (I promise to add in little trivial events in-between, lol)
For Christmas, we baked bread like my Grandmother used to make. It was really tasty, and my host family enjoyed it, which was a definite plus. The bread itself ends up being in the shape of a Christmas tree, with candied cherries for ornaments on the branches. It felt sooo unbelieveably good to be able to share traditions with my host family and have them share their holidays with me in return.
Christmas was fairly quiet, with us exchanging gifts at home after having a meal together. My host sister and I clung obstinately to our conviction that a Christmas tree should be inside and decorated for Weihnachten, else it's just an evergreen, barely above a fern in ranking, when you think about it. So on Christmas morning (the 24th, in Deutschland), we brought it inside, dried it off, and got it all ready for it's debut as a bonafeid Christmas tree with glass baubles and ornaments. I have to say, it looked like one happy tree!
My birthday was also pretty quiet. My host sister and I got haircuts. God, I didn't realize how badly I needed a haircut until I took a serious look and realized that it was around three to four inches longer!! And anyone who has long hair will know how nice it feels to have a professional wash your hair and then cut and style it. Oh, so that's another first to add to my list. I have now, officially, gotten a haircut in a different country. How many people can say that? :)
Later that evening we went to a Greek restaurant for someone else's birthday which had been the day before. I've started to notice a pattern here... many Greek and Asian restaurants--along with lots of pizza joints!! And then there's the places where they serve Eis. Those places drive me just about over the edge because it's negative ten outside and they're serving ice cream!! And it's delicious because it's from Europe and not like that stuff we get at our siblings' baseball games from the man with a cart which is decked out with bells to make it impossible to ignore. I don't think that bells is the correct word, really. Glocken might be more appropriate, given that they have a certain inharmonious quality which appeals to the more impatient side of one's nature. In short, it makes me want to start a conversation as to why exactly a less discordant noisemaker cannot be selected.
The last major event of last year, and the first of this year, for that matter, was New Year's. I actually like the German word for this time better than the English one. Silvester sounds bright and new, and well, more sparkly, which is what New Year's stands for. The bright, new, and yes, even shiny beggining. One of the major differences between my home and Berlin is that, here, bottle rockets are legal, lol. Yeap, almost like when I happened to be in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day, hahaha!
Well, that pretty much wraps up the last of my 2010! Come to think of it, I can't really believe that I've spent half of it in Deutschland!! How time flies :) TGWTC, signing off! P.S. I need to remember to write about Miss Sophie's 90 Geburstag oder Dinner for One in my next entry, lol.
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