On warmer nights

Every few months, due to an unhealthy diet of Macdonalds take out and fat-laden prata suppers (also the lack of exercise, but who's keeping score?), I catch the flu. When you're rolling around in bed in a feverish fit at 4am in the morning, the only thing to do is calm down and READ. Thanks to ms. Hepburn and also Sylvia Plath's mildly disturbing Bell Jar, which helped me through a pretty hectic night.

On a slightly unrelated note; The fact that university tutorial teachers don't give tuppence if you show up for class or not, gives little satisfaction when you skive off school. Oh delinquency of Junior College days, how I miss you! Oh and I'm proud to say that I only took 3 hours to write a 200-word commentary on music and culture for a particularly annoying critical writing course. Whoohoo, procrastination and underachievement.

And now, for some more 30 rock!

Spidey & Gwen Stacy

I don't often rant about movies but this... THIS WILL BE PHENOMENAL. With Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy (!), Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst just seem, well, impossibly sad.

I'm so biased, BUT I LOVE ANDREW AND EMMA. They are incredibly talented and also, incredibly hot. Always a bonus. Anticipation for this film is driving me nuts; it only comes out in 3D on July 3rd next year. Why Columbia Pictures, why?



Anyway, besides waiting eons for new films as such, I've been indulging in many oldies. Remember As Told By Ginger anyone? Anastasia? Only if you're a '90s kid. They help me to blatantly ignore linguistic readings, which have been piling up like mad. We'll worry about those later. For now, we enjoy!

The European Experience: Part 9

Street Musicians
Almost Everywhere

One of the things I miss most about Europe: the buskers that fill the air with their myriad of transient music. In Paris; the cool liquid sound of a saxophone and the twinkling of keys. In Rome; brightly-coloured children dancing around an accordion-playing gypsy woman. In Amsterdam; a duo of classical guitars and a Bob Marley look-a-like playing several ethnic instruments at once.

It is enchanting, and an adventure to walk down the streets and listen to the soundtrack of each city. How I wish we had that culture here! We have a long way to go in that aspect

Out with the New, in with the Old

'To me, the three most important parts of my life are art, love and nature.'

Alison Sudol

Life is rock n' roll

A few things!

1. The university life has begun! I can't remember if anyone has told me, but apparently, you can be invisible in college and still survive. Made a few friends, ate lots of lunches, so school hasn't changed much since, well, ever.

2. TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB. Phenomenal. They rocked it, period.

3. BROOKE FRASER. She did not rock it, on the account that she had bronchitis and cancelled the show a mere hour before doors opened. Us, being a five-minute walk away from TAB and pleasantly dining @wendys, were not amused.

4. Finished watching Parks & Recreation last week. It is seriously the most hilarious sitcom I've seen since the Office, and that is not easy to beat. Amy Poehler, and the rest of the cast, is gold! Also watched a lot of As Told by Ginger, and that too, is brilliant.

5. My book depository order arrived on Saturday and I've been too busy reading John Green, Sylvia Plath and Homer to start on any readings. The thought of opening my linguistic texts now, as compared to the poetic genius that is Plath, disgusts me.

And that is all, for now :)

The European Experience: Part 8

L'archetto & Antica Taverna
Rome

'I can't stand people that do not take food seriously.'

Oscar Wilde

And I do take my food very seriously indeed. As much as we may think massive cups of strawberry gelato are enough to sate our hunger, it isn't. After walking twenty kilometers worth of uneven cobbled pavement, which is approximately the distance from our hostel to Vatican City and back, there's nothing better than a piping hot plate of Italian food.

Stefano, our wrinkled and portly guide told us of a cafe not far from the Trevi fountain that served over a hundred kinds of spaghetti called L'Archetto. Apparently, locals frequented the restaurant because of its fantastically-reasonable prices and authentic cuisine, dining alfresco and downing liberal amounts of red wine as the night passed. We shared a table with a friendly middle-aged Australian couple who had been on the tour with us, and took an impossibly long time just poring over the menu and deciding what to order. Stefano was not kidding about variety.

I finally decided on the house' namesake specialty after an eternity, consisting of sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, flakes of tuna and chilli oil. It was quite literally, a gastronomic party in my mouth. Polished everything up, and ended the meal with some sparkling water and of course, the inevitable gelato.

Don't expect good service from the local waiters though. Stefano had told us that if we chose to eat at places which were relatively unknown to tourists (and places which the Romans frequent), waiters would often be brusque and bad-tempered, and impatient to boot! It doesn't help that tipping isn't mandatory in the city of Rome. The second place we ate at called Antica Taverna (an even more clandestine place along a tiny intersection which we stumbled upon) had similar 'service'; recommendations were done in a bored monotone and extracting a friendly smile was an impossible feat. For us, it didn't matter much, as we managed to eat like kings and fill our belly with excellent Italian cuisine for a good price!

Being the um, adventurous people that we are, we returned to these two places TWICE to gorge ourselves on the pasta and beef goulash and fresh bread. Good food is, well, good food! Hopefully, we didn't disappoint Mr. Wilde with repeated meals.

Oh weary soul, oh lovely soul

Here I come and here I will leave
No doubt changed by the letters
or the tides of the sea
But when I depart
let the swallows cry out
Here was the place she felt her soul go out

Here I lived and still I shall love
A place where spirits flutter
And fly like doves
Now we will fall asleep
To lovers crying out
Here was the place that dreams grew out

In thoughts and in feelings
I am changed
By a love of words
And a love of the ties that bind

The European Experience: Part 7

A City of War
Berlin

'You girdled sorrow, you clung to desire;
sadness stunned you, in you everything sank.'

The Song of Despair
Pablo Neruda

There is something about Berlin that strikes a stray chord in the hearts of all who visit. The political and historical air emanating from every street corner is almost overpowering; the city's attractions, though numerous, hover around the notion of war & death. After four days, the air of suppression inevitably starts to sink in, for it's hard to walk fifty feet without stumbling into some sort of war memorial or monument. From the holocaust memorial (Part 3) to the crumbling facade of the Berlin Wall, everything about that place screams of Germany's dark past.

That's not say we didn't have an ounce of fun in Berlin though! A couple of currywursts and hot tea are wonderful accompaniments as you walk the streets, soaking in the sights and sounds of the metropolis. The gaps between the roads of concrete will open up into beautiful scenes if you let it. The museum island, for one, is rich in modern art culture with its absolutely resplendent large, open plains. The massive squares of the opera house, universities and Brandenburg Gate are alive with its locals and German youth decked out from head-to-toe in slightly ill-fitting military garb, taking snapshots with eager tourists.

Another thing that was a real bonus was our wonderful NewEuropeTour guide, Eva, who lead us through the city with much passion and charisma. Besides that, Eva also showed us that despite the (sometimes) horrific history of Berlin, it is what millions of people call home and a place she loves deeply. Although the urban sprawl of Berlin may take some getting used to, its rich history and culture is not something to be missed.

Smokescreens

It was always what you said
It would be, and nothing more
Through the smoke screens and the pipe dreams
And the blood on the floor

You say it's black, well it's bound to be black
You made up your mind, and you see with that

Baby, if you wanna be right
I will let you be right
I will let you be right
You know that the numbers don't lie
Oh no, the numbers don't lie
Two wrongs will not make it right

You said, "One and one and one and one is three."
But I know my lines and my graphs and my math -
Honey, that ain't me

If you want it, you can have it
All the lines on the cellar floor
Don't mean nothing, just a bad dream
Even if you think it's more

______________________________________

And while we're on amazing music, I just wanna say that the Mynabirds are wicked. Isn't their music simple, yet phenomenal? Very nicely arranged.

My Neighbour, My Creator

Instead of contemplating the vagaries of starting college tomorrow, I should be at Lollapalooza right now cheering on Wye Oak & their beautifully honest, indie music. Even though we've just returned from taking a Europe backpacking tour, I can't help but think of the hundred possible trips I want to make in the future. The first on the list would be going for massive music fests in the US & UK; Glastonbury, Leeds, Reading, Coachella, Wanderlust, Vans Warped Tour, Summerfest, Pitchfork... days of interesting crowds and music and magic. All a bit risqué, but well, a girl can dream.

For consolation, I AM catching Two Door Cinema Club this week, who are coincidentally one of the few UK headlining bands at Lollapalooza this year. Also, Brooke Fraser is on Friday, and I'm so incredibly excited to watch this gig, you will not believe. At the very least, the thought of these two concerts will get me through my first week at university :/

The European Experience: Part 6

Tour De Eiffel
Paris

A quintessential part of Paris' cityscape, a landmark, a glowing wonder. Much has been said about its beauty, but never enough.

We sat on the steps of the Palais d' Chaillot, sandwiched between the luminescent sunset and the rusty-red monument, and simply watched. At 10pm midway though sunset, the Eiffel Tower burst into gold flames and the horde of tourists clapped and hooted enthusiastically, repeating the cycle once every hour. The silent lulls in between were spent writing postcards home and sipping chilled drinks. The night air, however, was punctured by a ragtag bunch of Filipino musicians, eager to make a living out of spare change by doing terrible John Lennon covers. Where were all the saxophonists and violinists in Paris that night? A little Édith Piaf would have been good enough.

Who could imagine Parisians detested the La Tour Eiffel a century ago? Apparently in Paris, the saying goes that 'If you build something, don't expect anyone to like it for the next twenty years'.

So, there's still a chance, dearest Louvre pyramid!

The European Experience: Part 5

Klosterhof
Frankfurt

For a major city in Germany, Frankfurt doesn't seem much as compared to the urban sprawl of Berlin, or the cultural hotpot that is Hamburg. The streets were quiet during rush hour, and the tourist attractions amounted to nothing more than a few stately cathedrals and a couple of museums. So when you're in this town for no more than two afternoons, the best thing to do is in fact, eat.

At 6am, after a 20-hour flight and transit, we had dropped off our luggage at the hostel and had to wonder around town till 3pm's check-in. Talk about jet lag. We found this lovely cafe along Weißfrauenstraße, after exploring the archeological museum which is on the same street. Besides serving it's own house beer (a cloudy, slightly bitter, unfiltered brew), they serve a really mean spicy beef goulash and salmon rosti. The staff are an odd mix of eccentric people, friendly and very likable. They also taught us that tomato juice is nothing without a few shots of tobasco sauce, something that came in useful in the later parts of the trip. Klosterhof's prices are wallet-friendly and the alfresco-style dining; under grape vines and the warm sun, is really quite lovely :) Needless to say, we returned to the restaurant just before our departure.

Salivating already? I'd let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

It's systematic!

Watched this movie today while stuck at home with a massively-painful sore eye. Who can resist John Travolta's 1970s' Thunderbird swagger!

There's orientation tomorrow. Naturally, the spirit is willing but the flesh is oh-so-weak. Laziness doesn't usually cut it in college life but hey, if I've slakced for the past 18 years and survived, I can blaze through these four years right? Right?

Meh.

The European Experience: Part 4

Three bikes, a harbor & the Seaside
Volendam

It had been two days of tricking rain, with temperatures dipping to a chilly 11 degrees Celsius. Holland, or at the very least Amsterdam, was proving to be quite the disappointment. It didn't help that after the grandeur of beautiful Paris, all we had seen of the 'City of Tolerance' were its infamous coffeeshops and bored prostitutes standing behind shop windows, waving angrily at tourists like us. After taking a half-hour bus ride to the outskirts of Amsterdam to the countryside, the drab weather only worsened.

The next day though, after lots of prayer and God's grace, the skies finally cleared up and we spent a glorious day exploring the better side of Holland, minus the magic mushrooms and pimps. We rented bikes from the Hotel and cycled down narrow dirt lanes, which curved around miles and miles of green pasture and tiny inlets of water. It was lovely, especially after we had spent the past two and a half weeks navigating our way through crowded cities (not to say it wasn't fun, but still, you get sick of the bustling crowds.)

Maybe it was the fact that as city kids, everything seemed fascinating about small towns. Even seeing a sheep, or a homely-looking windmill along the cycling path was exciting! Although the main town was crowded with tourists, it was still nice walking along the beach, licking milky ice creams.

I'd have to say the best part of our countryside sojourn though, was sitting at the edge of the ship dock and wearing our Ship Captain caps, and having fish&chips and mussels for lunch. It was a good and relaxing way to end the trip, with an afternoon spent frolicking around the countryside. This, over dreary Amsterdam and its erotic museums any day.