Monika

Back from Russia

Mon, 19 May 2008 21:25:46 GMT

We came back yesterday in the afternoon and to say the truth: I am damn glad to be back again.
Russia is no place for me to live, even if I speak russian.
Our field-trip to russia was more than informative. Of course we visited russian agriculture (as far as existant) but it was quite surprising that Soviet Union is still alive in some heads. Russian farmers don't seem to think in categories like "economic" or "sustainability", they don't even seem to be unhappy with all the dirt and old stuff around them. It was like timetraveling to see all these leaning buildings (mostly good old soviet "Plattenbau"), mildew under wallpapers in our "hotel", and the poor food, which contained mostly of meat, potatoe, cabbage, fat and sugar and was never enough for some of our male students.

Moskwa is even to dirty to do sports outside, my lungs and nose were burning,... the poverty is unbelievable, but people seem to feel better when looking at the enourmous soviet monuments, tanks in public parks, Lenin on top of former tsar (Zar) monuments and shiny consumption-temples.
Although enormously big and with high potentials in agriculture, russia imports almost 24% of their food. Goods like milk from russia have a very low quality (less proteins, too much fat, to many antibiotics) so dairies can only make "low level cheese" like gouda or buttercheese. Microorganisms for making cheese like brie or Ementaler do not survive the antibiotik "cleaning" of the "healthy" 7.5% fat milk.

At german embassy we met a man from switzerland who was appointed by a russian oligarch to develope organic agriculture in russia as kind of social benefit. I am not sure if it is a great idea to sell organic milk for ca. 10 Euro/l while most of the people eat potatoe and cabbage every day to eat at least something... No surprise then, we saw government-sponsored vitamin-pills on the tables at university cafeteria.
But isn't it a strange country when a milkmaid earns more than an academic?.... not to say that the milkmaid earns nearly 300€Euros... and the switzerland-guy earns 3 times more than in his home, where he was one of the better earner. (sorry, I lack in better english expressions)

And while germany experienced a sunny spring-week, russia offered snow and around 10°C...

Did I already say: It's good to be home again!?

new semester, new chance

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:31:51 GMT

New semester has started! Yippie!!!
After all the hard work I am really glad the new semster started quite relaxed.
Until now my courses are really interesting: Genetics is my favourite so far. ^-^
When I try to describe some of my professors, they seem to have spend their last years in Hogwarts not Freising. But perhaps this is what all teachers have in common: They are unique.
E.g. there is again a professor from switzerland and it's just so amusing to listen to his pronunciation of english. And like most people I met from switzerland, he is friendly and funny anyway.

For the moment it feels so good to study :D

waiting

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:42:42 GMT

I'm waiting here forever to print out tons of information about farming-machines... -_-
Such a stupid subject at TU. Was much more fun when driving a machine yourself. But who wonders that even printing out is getting an odyssey today?
I tried to get tickets for IPM in Essen (http://www.ipm-messe.de/) and this was quite disappointing. Ticket pre-sellers mentioned on the official site, don't know anything about this exhibition or tickets and so it was harder than I thought to get tickets.

We saw a documentary about Angela Merkel and her style in being chancellor. Something I never recognized was that she is often silent when it comes to controversy subjects. People expect her to say more, but she remains calm. I think that's quite interesting cause I ask myself: Is she silent, cause she doesn't know what to say, or is she silent cause than she does not have to deal with difficult problems. She mentioned that she is often silent cause she does not want to interfere in communication between MP.
Is this absolutely clever or very stupid behavior?

Pareto principle

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:09:27 GMT

In my efforts keeping information even better in my head I came across Pareto-principle.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle ) <-- funny, but german wikipedia has a more voluminous article... as an exception

To explain in a few words:
20% of a states population own 80% of the states wealth.
With the right 20% of vocabulary you can have about 80% of your conversation.
20% of costumers pay 80% of a company's turnover (? Umsatz?)
20% of employees cause 80% of days absent
and which matters most: You get 80% of the result you want, with wisely chosen 20% of your work.

It makes me think... think a lot about WHAT I should work on.

University is there to humiliate me...

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:35:44 GMT

After weeks in University-life (and it's getting everyday life) I just realized NOW that I feel often enough like the first days in Japan: I have absolutely NO idea, what I am doing here, what I am supposed to do and how in heaven I should manage what I am supposed to.
I am having bad times in regular periods of time (mostly after physics cause they are solving nearly every problem with integral calculus which I forgot within these 5 years out of school) doubting myself if I chose the right, if I am good enough for studying. But I am also having these wonderfull moments, when I learned something new, when I get answers to questions I developed during apprenticeship.
As I said: The analogy with Japan is obvious for me.
And what do I feel when I think of this trip now? Do I think "This was so bad, too "hard work" to get a little insight in Japan's daily life"?
NO!!! I am thinking: "Wow, I really did it, I traveled on my own, I found my way after some problems in the beginning, but I got better and I would do it ever again, if I can afford."

Let's hope and see if my analogy keeps true.

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:51:40 GMT

My first test in "plant-science" is ahead, tooooo much time between now and the test. I am nos sure if I am well prepared. I feel a little exhausted of all the information about plant breeding and plant nutrition I tried to get in my head. My eyes are burning and when I look out of the window I am freezing...we have snow in mid November!
Christoph tried to tease me "Hey, isn't it bad having birthday in pre-christmas-time?"
Seems as he is absolutely right this year. -_-'

To get away from all the genetics I still have my Kyudo, which is more precious than before. While Uwe tells me all my misstakes (and it sometimes seems like a miracle that the arrow leaves the string straight) and Wolfgang builds me up in making compliments about my progress in Kyudo. I don't know if my progress is as good as he sais, but at least it feels different. As always.
It is so interesting how your all-day-life interacts with your Kyu-Do.
Christian who normally does kind of manager- or consulting-jobs had to get a job in package-service. He is talking a lot about this job, how surprised he was, how his body reacts and how his respect grows for those, doing this job for years. It is hard work and a new experience feeling all exhausted and tired after work and not beeing able to even read a book in the evening.
I like his experience, cause it is what I had when working as gardener and it is what think is fair: don't look down on these "simple" works as if it is worth nothing. DO it and see what this kind of work demands from you and your body.
Back to Kyudo: Christian is stunned about the change in his shooting since he started to deliver packages. He has more power but less controll about it. For me it feels like having more controll and ability to observe what I am doing, but I lack in physical power.

But it is still great having this alternative programm at the end of a day full of natural science.

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:08:15 GMT

My time in Kansai is getting to an end.... unfortunately I have to leave tomorrow and get back to crowded Tokyo. I did not even see half the things I wanted to *sniff*
But actually that is a reason to come back. ;)

I met a lot of people here, I am sure, I just met because I travel on my own. People tend to talk to you easier when you are alone. Maybe they are less afraid?
I am sure there are experiences you can only get by being alone for a while.

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:12:29 GMT

Back again. A short report before I try to sleep again. I was not able to the last 2 nights. :\ stupid jetlag...I seem to get old.

Ok, beside the fact I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of Kyoto, it is not so crowded as Tokyo and has sooo many things I HAVE to visit. It was a very good thing I bought Japan Rail Pass, so I can go anywhere without extra-fee.
My accommodation is absolute near to Kyoto station and more than I expected. (http://www.kyotojp.com/index.html)
I just made plans for my week here in Kyoto and don't know jet where to go first.
I hope to visit Shibata's shop tomorrow. He is the imperial bow-maker and I can't wait to meet him.

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:20:00 GMT

Wow, I ended in London.... again...
I was already airborne, but one of our 4 engines crashed so we had to return to Heathrow, but not without getting rid of our Kerosin.
Can you imagine?!!!
We blew 17t of Kerosin over North Sea, flying in circles!

Our flight delayed 7 hours. I was totally crushed, but finally ended in Tokyo.

I moved to Kyoto today and while Tokyo was cloudy and warm, Kyoto is sunny and hot. So damn hot I didn't even manage to get from aircon-shinkansen to exit-stairs without getting wet all over.
If I may say so: Kyoto ha kakkoiiiiiiii!!! (Kyoto is sooooo great!!!)

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:10:08 GMT

My last 24h in germany started. Whoo I am a little nervous right now. Instead of staying alone in Freising all day and waiting for Christoph, I caught the car and went to my parents'. Well, everybody is working, but at least I have my kitty to fight with (at the moment he needs a rest on the same chair as me....he looks so peacefully... little tiger-angel... but man, I know these needle-teeth-scratches hurt)

I order to get a goot seat on my long flight, I wanted to use these modern systems of online check-in. But of course this crap is not working. Thanks BA.
I just tried to get a Ryokan in Tokyo for the last 3 nights before Christoph arrives at NRT, but I just got confirmation for only 2 nights. Well, what about doing a Murakami-like night in Tokyo? :D
Staying awake, drinking o-cha, reading books, listening to Jazz... I guess I will decide that later.

Yeah, my mom just came back from work. Let's begin the social part of this last day :)

lost & found

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:50:15 GMT

Here I am, at my parents house, who still have Internet. For all who didn't know: Telekom blocked our Internet surprisingly for we have different opinions of our last bills. In fact the story is getting so on my nerves I don't want to explain it any more. So practically I am without Internet since mid-may. I still cannot believe I survived. We hope to get internet back before christmas *smile*
Can you believe that? Telekom is not only blocking our Internet, they also make problems to other companies to give us back DSL for over 2 month.

I always seem to be lost and found. I am out of my gardening-job now and found the joy of having vacations. I almost forgot the sweet lazyness...but just imagine that endless time without Internet! Somehow I managed to get my hostels in Japan, my Japan Rail Pass and a week from now I am as good as gone.

Well then, see you in October?...

busy past, lazy presence, busy future

Sun, 13 May 2007 18:50:06 GMT

I had some lazy time the last few days. My activities of this weekend consisted almost solely of reading Manga, listening to the new Linkin Park album (This is sooo sooo great! The best album I bought in a loooong time!), watch a little TV and Simpsons in english (This is so much better than this german crap) and sit around lazy.... yeah, I am soooo lazy!
In between of my lazyness I went to Pöcking for a nice Kyudo-practice evening, went to "Freisinger Gartentag" (gardening exhibition) with the girls from work and had a deep depression-phase. I still don't know what it started, but all I can say is that it HAS something to do with my body-functions. I am committed to this happening to me, absolutely helpless. And as I realized that I thought the only thing I could do was fall asleep. So I slept for only 20min, short, but deeply and everything looked way better after that.
This was the last depression-attack I had for month. I guess I get over it at last :D

We talked about going to Tsukuba in autumn again. Well, I will go to Japan anyway, I just have to, and seems as I inspired some people to do that trip again. Perhaps we can take Hans with us. Mori-sensei asked him several times to visit Japan, but he never did, afraid of going alone. He is so deeply bavarian, I understand he never travelled alone to Japan. ^-^

This upcoming week will have a lot of new challenges again: I work alone with Lady R, perhaps we are invited to Kroyer-familys house for a "After-bavarian-Kyudo-championship-japanese-dinner" and a BBQ at Franzis house, I will go to my doctor again, cause my facial skin is still an area of disaster, and and and....
A lot to do this week again. And weeks pass by....hm, I should learn for my exam too..... later!

Wind if change

Sat, 05 May 2007 20:13:15 GMT

Yesterday I had one of the greatest days at work I ever had.
Not just working with (almost) all people I like the most at this job, me and Franzi where decided to do a "special job" for our boss. We had to pack a bunch of plants for a lady at Weihenstephans. Obviously she needed it for her own garden.... I don't care. (This woman's name is btw. Fr. Kohlrausch *smile*)
Franzi had to do another job after a while, so I worked on my own. I met Mrs Kohlrausch by accident on my way to green houses and told her where she could pick up the plants. She came a few minutes later, everything was perfect.
After break my boss came to give me two new "special jobs" I was supposed to take over. Kohlrausch-san wrote my boss an e-mail that she got the plants, thanks, blabla.... my boss showed herself impressed that I managed to talk to Mrs. Kohlrausch and finished the job before lunchtime.
Christina at the green house was a little worried, that I had all these special jobs while she needed every worker herself. So I hurried to finish the next two jobs and came back to green house. It was the first time on that day that I entered green house and first thing happening was Steffi comin and asking me: "Christina is gone, I don't know why, I don't know where but I don't know what to do. Do YOU know what I could do now?"
Well, I just entered, I have no damn clue what's going on in the green house.
"Did you water the plants outside already?" (I told her that at 7:00am, before my special jobs, that someone shoul water them as soon as possible)
She looked at me like someone who was perfectly relieved to have a job again. I for myself was wondering why I am telling HER what to do. (Steffi is finishing this apprenticeship with me in a few month) I hate that Steffi is so dependent, why can't she think for herself tf.... I mean it shoul really pop in your face that you absolutely should WATER the plants if sun is burning like mad.

After lunch, Regine told me to come to my boss' office at 2:00pm.... I hate this demand, cause I don't have nice memories when it comes to my bosses office ^-^'
So I helped in the green house as much as I could... I already had a guilty conscience
I fact my boss had a little POSITIVE smalltalk with me (that's great, cause I used to fight with her really bad) and then she gave me another great special job: decorate a .... showcase (?) ("Schaukasten" in german)
It was great fun to do so, to work for my own, do as I thought....and so the showcase got quite nice I think. I asked her for colored paper, scissor, paper-clips... and sh always helped me with a smile, smalltalked and let me do the work on my own.
It is great and scary at the same time. What changed her mind? Why does she accept me NOW, when a few weeks before she said I was the most awfull and ungrateful person she ever met.

It all started with Franzi (nickname "Junior-boss") and me working together. She and myself, we ARE a good team and we managed some work together very efficiently or whatever....it was fun to work together with Franzi cause you can rely on her and have fun together at the same time.
Then our boss chose Franzi and me for a special job again, measure a rosebed....and it worked perfectly.
And there was this botanic-test! Unfortunately most apprentice-boys failed terribly ("The blackest of all days in 11 years of apprentice" my boss said) I had no problem with botanics and it was the first time my boss emphasized that in front of the others.

After that week communcation with my boss became so much better. She was never ugly to me again, never impatient, never crabby, nothing....just smiles, special jobs (and EVERYTHING is better than weeding!) and nice smalltalks. How will this end?

Interesting, eh?
The moment I started to be happy that all this ship will end soon, everything changed. Now I am almost sad that tjis work will end soon.
But no!

I am soooo happy that I'll start something new in autumn!

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:06:13 GMT

Again I decided on my own. Again I decided to visit my parents. Christoph accepted, but it was not 100% ok cause of Kyudo. Again I ate too much of wrong food and now I have stomachache. Again we got mail from Telekom who want extra money from us for THEIR fault. Again I am looking for cheap flights to Japan.
I spent a great day today with Christoph and me practicing Kyudo alone, a little chat with Oskar and a nice evening with my parents, my brother and his new girlfriend.

Because of that stupid Telekom-thing I am a little upset now, too upset to go to bed.
So I listen to favourite music and think of compiling a sampler with the end of apprenticeship as theme. A lot of songs that should be on that sampler, things like The Doors - "The End", Deine Lakaien - "Stupid", Linkin Park - "Points of authority", Badly Drawn Boy - "Above You, Below Me", Lindsey Buckingham - "Shut us down"...
I would hide secret messages in the lyrics and create a soundtrack for the daily insanity of working for a public institution.

14 weeks left...

I glad when this apprenticeship is over

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:09:55 GMT

I just got a letter from the institution than will organize my examination in summer. Not surprisingly I have to fill out a form and registrate for exams. I knew I had to give them my "apprenticeship report" on 18th April, but I am really shocked at the moment, because they tell me, that I have to have written 20 essays until then.... they tell me NOW! On 6th March
Some time ago, in school there was a lady from this institution that sayd, that not even one is obligatory and now they talk of 20! Isn't that a little difference?
I mean I wrote .... hm about 7 and was kind of proud, cause I wrote them voluntarily.

I'm on the edge of being in panic, really!

Besides, I wanted to go to bed early today, but a little voice in my mind forced me to do so many of these little things that have to be done somewhen. So I checked my finances, opened a new account for my university-future, tried to get a freakingly good present for Christoph (who has birthday an thursday ;)), called my grandmother and read this terrible letter of "Amt für Landwirtschaft und Forsten". My next step will be an emergency-mail to my teacher.
Forget about bed.... sh... more than 10 reports to write. I guess I will visit University library on friday to get used to it ;)

Top of the food-chain: get bored

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:04:23 GMT

Sunday:
We followed the invitation of Christoph's parents to come for lunch and tea in the afternoon. Lunch was great. Christoph's mom has a talent for cooking birds all kinds. His father had, like always, some problems with his PC, his mom was, as always not really talkative. Well, I don't really know what to talk about with her. I seem much to un-lady-like to be interestes in any of these girl-topics.
The problem with these two is, they are, unlike my own parents, not really active. They don't really have hobbies or friends, they spend time with, so it seems to me like they are kinda bored. No, they are not sitting around at home all the time. The went to a spa yesterday, they said, but needless to say, that they went alone.
I always have problems understanding people who practically live just for their jobs. They get up, to work and after work they eat, watch TV and go to bed to get up for work again. I have those people at my own job. They tend to fall into a panic-like emotion, when work ends at 12:00 instead of 16:30. They moan cause of having time for themselves! Wow, I feel sorry for that!

I mean, there is always something, a project if you like that is not finished yet. Well and even I finished everything around me, then I would go out and look for a new project, have time for people you like, or if there is more time: get the f... out of this country of workaholic germans telling you, efficiency is the only purpose of life

So, it is much easier to get bored at Christoph's parents than at my parents house. There is always something at my parents even my brother is not at home. My parents have plenty of projects running, and in 2 weeks there is a lot of change happening to talk about.

Well, to be fair: I had a lot of fun looking at old DDR-maps of Karl-Heinz and finding the "failures" like a "neutral zone" between Iraq and Saudi Arabia or city-names that have changed.
DDR seems to be the only reality that is fixed for those two.

Perhaps everybody has a special-time in life that is so important that you never give it up in your heart. Like those people always listening to music of a certain period. It is like you left a bigger part of your self in this time... my parents are the same. They never left their little refuge "bavarian village"...however.... my mom started to buy period furniture the seem like aliens in the rest of the bavarian house.

japanese garden Vol.2

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 21:48:10 GMT

Shooting is doing fine. I seem to develope some new muscles and senses, that are very usefull for my shooting. It doesn't only FEEL better it also looks better and I get more positive feedback from Uwe. Unfortunately my shoulder is not really convinced I am doing fine. "Kyudo" doc Wolfgang says I will get over that as well.

Anyway, we had a little nice talk about our new dojo. Ok we are far away from starting to build, we still don't have even a place where we are allowed to build but we are dreaming. And so we also came over the question of the surrounding nature. Of course it should be something japan-like, it should support the japanese aspect of Kyudo. Uwe is a little uncertain when it comes to... well, everything.
Some days ago he said things like "We should have a Ginkgo-tree and bamboo of course, cause that has a very nice spiritual impact". Today it was something like "We don't have to put plants anywhere near the dojo. It is a place to work, not to relax."
Well, I don't care for his talking. I try to think myself of how I could get some of these plants already. He was deciding "Madake" bamboo, which is the kind of bamboo, Kyudo-bows are built of. I saw lots of Madake in Japan, but needless to say, these huge (6-9m) and thick kinds of bamboo are a little hard to domesticate in middle-europe. I talked to a bamboo-gardener in summer and asked for Madake and he said our winters are to cold and wet for these huge bamboos. It made perfectly sense. Also I've never seen a bamboo thick like my arm in any garden in germany. It makes you think that climate has to get a little warmer in germany before you can enjoy a bamboo-forrest.
But I found a bamboo-gardener in germany selling Madake. There is no warning or note it would not grow in a german garden, so I guess I have to make some more research on that.

So, no matter what Uwe says next time and no matter how long it takes untill we can start building our dojo, I will start to collect all kinds of beautiful bamboo, right now. ;)

friends have same interests...

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:05:46 GMT

Some strange friends I have again.
They make me laugh, they teach me ideals and fighting strategies, they are romantic, weak and absolutely normal for this area of planet earth.

But... they don't read "God's debris" I gave them, they do not watch films in english language, they don't like films like "The Matrix" (that IS hard), yellow-skined american comic-heroes are "too silly and unnormal to think about", they hate "The big Lebowski" but laugh to tears when I mock some scenes, they talk of the big wide world but fear to go for a walk at the airport, they call themselfes "Vegetarian" but eat earthworms due to boredom (not all my friends do eat earthworms. Otherwise I would ask myselfe why I should keep contact to a bunch of chickens).
...they are at least like my parents.

I love those people with all their failures.
They remind me of average-me, how I started and that at the end I'll always be alone. Especially when it comes to entertainment.

Hey, I'll finish my second reading of God's debris now. ;P

feel good

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 21:06:18 GMT

My face is itching like mad, and I can't stop scratching *brrr*

Today I realized the different people in every practice of Kyudo are very special for the atmosphere. Of course, there are some, who always take part, but some you only meet on a single day of the week. And very interesting, even a single person can change parts of group dynamics. So every practice is special, something you can look forward to. And most of the time it is funny and relaxing to be with those people.
Today I even got a little massage from Wolfgang against my muscel hardenings in neck. Very useful to have a doctor in the team. ;)

Cause everybody counts!

Why do kids lose...

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 16:05:13 GMT

Small kids don't like coffee and other bitter things cause their senses tell them it's bad for their bodies. So is it only for THEM bad? They lose this ability when they grow older and surprisingly find some bitter things very tasty now. Why did they lose the ability?
Are bitter things no longer harmfull for their health or did they just get tricked by nature that says: "C'mon buddy, help yourself, find your way and don't rely on me any more!"

Small kids breath into their stomach. They use their entire body to catch a lot of air. You can see it when the belly goes up when they breathe in and down when they breathe out.
Ok, grown-ups can breath in their stomachs as well, but most don't. Most people especially those always under pressure tend to breath quite flat into the chest which causes lesser oxygen. Lesser oxygen causes more stress for the body, especilly for the brain, which causes a more stressed flat breathing into chest, and so on until you feel exhausted.
You would get much more oxygen if you'd just breathe again like a child, but surprisingly a lot of people seem to have forgotten how to. So a lot af anti-stress therapies start with learning "how to breathe properly" and believe it or not it really makes you calmer when you use your stomach-breath in a very stressy situation.
So why did we also forget THIS little gimmick from nature?
Are we too permanent-stressed, so we forgot? Do we need these different types of breathing for our different situations we are in? Hunting, arguing with the guys from cave B, sitting at the fireside with our beloved, producing more stomach-breathing baby-angels...

I surely find more usefull tricks babys are able to and we top-of-the-food-chain forgot.

"wind of change"

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:13:07 GMT

After a spring-like winter without a trace of snow or ice we have this very strong Orkan (hurricane) "Kyrill" here. Somehow I was surprised how forceful media was warning because of the storm. But after some hours of storm now I guess they were right. This storm IS heavy! Schools and all public buildings were closed, I was even called that my Pilates-training was canceled.
Dry leaves are gathering in front of our house and dancing like in american beauty. It is really weird.

I don't know what happened at work cause I am at home at the moment due to knee-problems.
Christoph went to Berlin this morning, again, but he is absolutely cool when it comes to flying at storm. I don't feel very comfortable when I am sitting in plane shaking through the air, loosing height rapidly and shivering to the landing. He said a person in the plane wanted to run to the bathrooms 5 min before landing and a stewardess was forcing him back to is seat. I guess if you don't like flying anyway you get in kind of panic when it feels more like a roller coaster than a Boing 737. In fact I saw several ambulances on apron when I fetched Christoph.
I was thinking, hey I would like to work NOW at lost&found to be in the middle of that trouble.

Freising looked even more like a battlefield... ok only a little. A tree was falling in a housing area. Nobody injured but trees and branches all over the street. Going by car was really strange and dangerous.
I mean I never felt the wind trough the closed car-door! In radio they say something like 150km/h wind-speed. What will the world look tomorrow morning?

In TV they show all these fallen trucks, trees,... and politicians?
Well bavarias prime minister (?) Stoiber quit his job to 30. sep. this year and half the country is excited who will be next, what will happen at all.

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:16:23 GMT

A little entry before we leave. I am collecting all the info we need in Berlin, find University, find botanical garden, find Christian's favourit "Currywurst- Stand"... don't forget ticktes and key.
It is absolutely awesome that this counselor-woman of Berlin University took some time EXTRA for me, so we can talk a little. University in Munich didn't even answer my e-mail. :(

Yesterday was birthday, christmas and all the good days together: I got my bow!
Not any bow. It is my first, hyperbeautiful, ladylike slim carbon bow directly from Koyama in Tokyo.
That's an improvement from "Vereinshure" to "Das kleine Schwarze" as Christian called my sweety-bow.
It should have 13kg but for now it feels much more. I guess I lack some muscles or this bow it stronger than declared, as it is with Christoph's and Christian's 15kg bows.

And of course it was a strange feeling to shoot this bow. Like the bow said to me: "Hey, who are you? If you want to have fun with me then get the hell better!"
Uff I WAS exhausted after ca. 30 arrows. That's great!
I'm a little sorry for now flying to Berlin and missing 2 practices.... but just a very little. ;)

So see you on sunday....

golden week

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:48:48 GMT

A little late after all, but I have to report a bit about the new year.

Since I moved away from bavarian-village-idyll I could develope my personality enormously. Of course I just realized when coming back home this christmas and nex years eve.
It felt terrible to come home. Besides I really love my parents, my brother, this house where I've grown up, I could not be the Moni I like at "home". I was not able to think what I wanted to, cause I was always disturbed by a silly TV-program, I was not able to talk what I wanted, cause my parents don't care or understand. And again I realized: There is no meaning in trying to explain someone who doesn't understand, WHAT or WHY he/she does not understand... needless to say: They don't understand.

But I had another depressing try last week. Senseless.

The best of this "golden week" between Christmas and new year was the walk next to the MUC airport runway with a beloved friend I miss much to often. We had coffee, snow, fog and sun and the most genius talk I had for a very long time. It was a brilliant scene! And no camera to record it ;) Thank you very much for that afternoon.
My "new friends" at work prefer to talk about people or themselves and problems in their lifes... sure I want to be a good friend and listen their stories about their broken knee, "terrible" past (mine was not better) that causes depression and psychotherapy, but needless to say that I cannot have a walk with only one of them at the runway and talk about Jared Diamond or Gregory Benford enjoying Burger King coffee.
I felt like I refound a self I almost forgot.

After only 2 + 2 days at my parents I am now far away from wanting back to them for a while.

So I got veeeery busy today at my "first day of vacation", did a lot of housework, made Pilates, wrote a plant-paper for my graduation, made an appointment at the doctors, ok also played a little Sims2, but at the end I really feel good again.
I think a lot about future of course. Feeling a bit like my job at Weihenstephans' already over...
Christoph will go to Berlin in a couple of weeks to see what his may-be-new-job is like. I'm also thinking of going to Berlin for a couple of days as well, to see what the University and the city is like. I still dislike Berlin, but thinking of little-bavarian-idyll I am thinking of the chance to leave, to see something new, to start over all those things why you like to move.

I collected some info about different job-branches I was thinking of, socialstudies e.g. but the more I read the less I think I should do it. So I worry again, cause gardenscience is nothing you can study in munich... so I have to leave. Puh, all that thinking, measuring, deciding.

So much I want to do, so hard to realize... I still feel like 19... I guess.
You find me in the bathtub the next hour...

Wichteln

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:28:51 GMT

Hey, does anybody remember "Wichteln" from schooltime?
We did it in work this year. For all who don't know what "Wichteln" is, here's a little description:

All people who want to participate write his/her name on a little note , put it in a box, shake it and take a note out of the box. The name written on the note is the one you have to make a present. You limit the present to max. 5Euro e.g. but even better are self-made gifts.
Today was deadline, so everybody put secretly his/her present in the big basket and at lunchtime I played little "Wichtel" and gave the presents to their receiver.

And we had some really good presents, mostly self-made or at least chosen very carefully.
Christina e.g. always asks for "a micro coffee" at breakfast. She never drinks a whole cup but only a very very little, so she got an espresso-cup for her coffee. *smile*

Or Konrad's was also very well decided. He is quite nuts about us girls in work, but not negatively. We have so much fun that Franzi's belly is aching from laughing. We cultivate bavarian culture (actually Franzi, Andrea, Konrad and me are the only people at work originate from southern bavaria) and "flirt". (in bavarian the word is more like "Schmaaz" or "Greed")
So he got a Picasso-picture painted with cole to have "us girls" always with him even at home at his family's ( http://www.in-bcn.com/turismo/imagenes/picasso.jpg )
He got all red when opening the present.

Most presents where like that.
I got a self-made picture of a japanese garden, of course. ;)

I really enjoyed that day.... and there are not to many things I can enjoy at the moment. Winter-depression is my mothers explanation and she might be right.

For now I enjoy a hot cup of Caro-coffee and the conversations with Franzi. We seem to grow big friends :)
Winter, a time to make friends

Kyudo-crisis 2nd

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:25:16 GMT

Another diappointing practice with my old brown bow: I broke the string after perhaps 300 arrows of shooting. I asked my fellow shooters if anybody could show me the knot for hanging-up myself. ... but I ditched the idea when Christian told me:
"Hey, der Bogen ist die Vereinshure. Wird durchgereicht."
(pls ask Dirk for a translation ^-^)

But I was lying on the ground laughing cause that's exactly what it is.
Christian is great. ^-^
So one more reason to hope for a new bow, to get rid of that whore. ;)