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| Tuesday, 27-Jun-2006 12:56 |
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Schnell Schnell - Quick!
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With the end of my time in Germany nearing . . i'm as usual feeling just a little bit wistful about the whole thing. and i'm also trying desperately to finish doing all the things that i wanted to do in Berlin . . there are still so many museums that i have yet to have visited . and i feel that the time has been really so incredibly short . . .
sigh . .
oh well . . things are going good, my friend grace has been visiting with me these past 3 days and we've been rather happily been restauranting .. i have to thank a good friend Jian Yhong for introducing this most heavenly Austrian restaurant near the Zoologischer Garten Bahnhof . . lovely lovely food and wine . . could so definitely go there again and again . .
Anyway . . as always, this is actually writtne between lessons and i think i will have to go off now . . will see everyone in Singapore all too soon.
Lots of love to all!
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| Thursday, 15-Jun-2006 11:08 |
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Chinese Food
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I had to include an entry about food at some stage.
Thus far I've survived on a huge helpings of german cuisine . .. with intermittent italian interruptions  Much appreciated . ..
But today, I've finally succumbed to the temptation of getting food from an Asian place!  had fried rice . .. was too lazy to make it myself . . actually got round to buying some rice the other day, but in the absence of a rice cooker . . it really is just too mcuh hassle to seriously consider . ..
Anyway . . i'll write more later as I've got to dash to class right now 
i've been trying to load pictures. . but the connection here at the Institute is just a little bit to slow . . so what i need to do is to reduce the original quality of the pictures i have and load them up later . .
ok . . till later . .
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| Wednesday, 14-Jun-2006 15:03 |
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Blissful morning
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I haven't quite had the time to regal everyone with stories about my present house. I've been extremely lucky and have got myself a nice little apartment in the suburbs. Its near a canal, and its so safe i've seen many people jog in the evenings there. The interesting thing is that its also a number eleven, so i feel like i'm really heading home each time.
But the other really lovely thing is the woderful back garden they have. The house i'm living in is really an old fashioned villa, from which these different apartments are kind of carved out of, but i've got full use of the garden, and its been absolutely lovely to be able to just sit there, eat my muesli and do my german homework.
The work, i have to say is really beginning to pile up, i'm writing a presentation on the architecture of the Reichstag at the moment, and i have to write an email, and do diary entries for each day of the week.
not exactly completely relaxing.
Had a rather thoughtful modern music encounter last night. Went to this little kind of by the wayside pub/concert venue where they presented "unheard of" music . . just translating directly from the name in german. Makes you really think about the value in some of this modern music. the fact that most of the really complicated programme notes are in german means that it really strikes me how important the musical comprehensibility of the work must be. found myself taking notes of some of the compositional cliches . . am determined to avoid them. Now to think about what the music should be about . .
back to class now tschuss!
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| Tuesday, 13-Jun-2006 13:06 |
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Sensitive Ears
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Something somewhat inconsequential but somewhat delightful (for me) happened today. I was walking along the street when this Ambulance blasted its way by, as usual, i went through that mental process of . . should i look like an absolute wimp and cover my ears . . or not . ..
In the end, it got a little bit unbearable (i note hear, just for me) and i decided to just look like a wuss and cover my ears . . but it was absolutely delightful, when i turned around, i noticed ALL these people who had done the same! For the first time ever, i felt like i was surrounded by like-minded people who are sensitive to sound . . . .
you're probably all laughing your head off by now . . BUT i WAS delighted
brought a little smile to my face
I'm struggling to sleep less than 10 hours a day .. i think all that overtime in the past few years has really done me in.. now that i am back in a restful environment, i'm just sleeping ALL the time . . . . in between cooking and studying German
i made the decision a few days ago that i won't travel all over germany while i'm here, instead i'll concentrate on the german while I'm here and just have fun in the weekends . . ie going to galleries and the like . .
I'm over my head in happiness here . . just caught another performance yesterday, this time on the journey of Elisabeth by Liszt in the Philharmonie. Heard what sounded like a 3 comunity choruses together . . that was rather interesting .. and also a polish orchestra . .
To date I've caught Donizetti - l-elisir d'amore, Rimsky Korsakov - The Golden Cockerel, Verdi - La Forza del Destino, Berliner Symphoniker playing Beethoven pf conc no.3 and some intereseting stuff by Hans Rott, a classmate of Mahlers . ..
Might be going for a modern music concert tonight . . as usual spoilt for choice 
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| Monday, 12-Jun-2006 13:03 |
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first monday in Goethe Institut
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I don't even know who reads this site anymore . . but this saves me the chore of repeating by not entirely fascinating life again and again  heh
Anyway, i'm now into my second week at Goethe institut. i love my class, everyone is so friendly, and unlike what i've heard, so ready to speak in german.
Which is totally fantastic, we get to practise our equally funny german
But its really quite funny how, after a few days of nothing but german, that it begins affecting your perception of everything. I'm tempted to capitalise all nouns for example . . i'm also tempted to make some very funny statements in English, which would really only make sense in german.
Everyday seems to be marked by another football match at the present.
And the really the atmosphere here is really wonderful.
The entire stretch from Brandenburg gate to the middle of the Tiergarten is packed with people cheering and screaming.
The security measures here are also very tight, perhaps just a little intimidating. . but that really is just a small tradeoff for safety . .
Am presently reading a book on the Theatre of the absurt after having just finished a book about the English language.. really fascinating.. I've already watched 3 operas and a concert.
can't wait to catch more in the coming days.
Now I'll have to return to class!
Till the next time
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| Wednesday, 31-May-2006 15:23 |
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Cambridge - Ely - Burnham Deepdale
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its great, i'm now in the middle of nowhere . . well as mcuh as a person can get in England
And I'm in the only place in the whole village where there is internet access
Feeling rather happy. Driving around the UK has been a fabulous experience. Everybody's so polite. The only thing to watch out for are things like small little country rounds and the possibility of encountering scary farm animals
Anyway, just thought to drop a note to let everyone know how i'm doing. Photos will come soon enough, as soon as i have regular access to the internet. Which at th emoment looks increasingly like, when i'm in berlin.
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| Sunday, 28-May-2006 06:20 |
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Early in Maida Vale London
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Had a fantastic time last night meeting up with "old friends"
the subject on our gradual aging had come up in conversation, including some more gruesome thoughts about plastic surgery and botox : |
As for poor Sze Wun, its now 7.23am in the morning and I've already been up for quite some time.
I'm all set to go up to York today, and will be setting off soon. Have decided to take the challenge of driving all the way up there.
Will update soon in detail about random wanderings in London last night, and how the journey to York goes.
Cheerio
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| Tuesday, 4-Apr-2006 16:15 |
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Somewhere in Africa
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Just watched a wonderful German film, Somewhere in Africa.
Feeling my usual  self after i've watched a touching film
hate being so damned sensitive sometimes
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| Monday, 3-Apr-2006 05:59 |
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Morning Bliss
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First time I woke up at 6am in the morning for ages.
Totally accidental you must understand
But i took it as a sign of that long-awaited shift in my body clock
It has been one of my new year resolutions for absolutely years, to shift my body clock and join the rest of the normal world for a daylight lifestyle
anyway, its lovely to see the estate and to have time to be able to appreciate the beauty surrounding you, while still feeling hazed-out in the morning
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| Saturday, 1-Apr-2006 18:39 |
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Struck by Lightning
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I've just finished reading a fabulous book.
"Struck by Lilghtning; Signpaorean Voices Post-1965" by Azhar Ghani, Peh Shing huei, Laurel Teo and Lydia Lim.
I also realised that April the 1st has over the years become a date that i associate with significance, due to a very Singaporean institution.
Back in 1998, i though the universe had thrown me the cruelest joke by sending me for enlistement into the army on April Fools.
This day of foolery is generally unobserved in Singapore. I often wish otherwise, but i guess its one of those cultural things. But i thought i would mention this by the by.
Also, I've been touched by this book which i just mentioned. For the longest time I've been wanting to read literature that debated Singaporean Political issues with different perspectives. Its a reflection of the lack of the somewhat small number of English language newspapers in Singapore that we seldom get conflicting, contradictory views about issues that concern people here in Singapore.
The press as an instrument of information dissemination is fairly well-represented, but well researched, clear minded debates not quite with the same frequency and abundance.
I'm feeling a little bit more content, if tired now, at 0243h Singapore time.
At least some, more eloquent people are expressing some of the reservations which I have had in my mind these past few years in Singapore.
I am not alone.
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I knew it!
...wish i was in germany at this time.beats trying to catch every match while juggling work & the GSS 
