Friday, September 25, 2009

A good day and aweful night

Today. Is a very happening day.

I have been really anxious about getting a bike and my ATM card. Finally, I HAVE GOT A BIKE and my ATM card arrived this afternoon! Being really excited I rode the bike to the nearest bike shop to try to fix some little problems, and I realised I can't even pump the tyre. Luckily the very nice boss helped me to do it.. and it's FOC.

By the time I got home it was already 6.30pm, so I rushed to changed cause I had to meet up with my friends at 7 to go to an Irish pub for Guiness 250th Anniversary. They said they are giving free food and beers. Heidi and Ritchie rode in front of me and when they successfully went up a pedestrian path from the road, which was higher, the very unskillful me "BANG!!!" and when they turned around they saw me and my bike both lying on the floor. GOSH it was so scary!! Now I know falling off from a bike is not a joke, it hurts!! Luckily I didnt bleed, and my natural insticts used my hands to block my face from hitting the ground. PHEW.

OK when we reached the Irish pub, they said the event haven't started so we kinda wait and ordered something to eat. I had cereal, bread, and a piece of pizza the wholeday and I was extremely hungry. When our meal came(where 3 of us shared), I ate like a wolf but still the portion wasn't a meal's portion and that means I haven't got my proper dinner yet. Well, this week I have been eating lotsa junks and not having proper meals :( I always have bread for meals, and that's the reason why I get gastric later at the irish pub. I sensed the pain in my stomach and I hardly can speak anymore. The gastric gas was like running all over my stomach. I went to the toilet twice and finally I puked all the "dinner". God I think many people puked in the pub because they had too much alcohol but i puked in the bar because I had a terrible stomachache =.="

Couldn't stand it anymore I decided to ride home myself. Well If anyone has the terrible stomachache experience, you should know that you can hardly move an inch because once I moved the pain increases and my legs go jelly. Well I still have to ride home and the chilly night breeze + stomachache + jellied legs made the 5 minutes ride the worst ever.

Finally I reached my beloved dorm and sprinted to the toilet. Yes, I have diarrhea everytime I had "that particular gastric". But well I went to the toilet 3 times and finally I felt way better. But still, my stomach is still aching and my leg has gone blue-black because of the fall.

I didn't know how to describe my day as the things that I have waited for so long arrived but a series of accidents happened after that.

Afterall I guess it's just a very happening day.

I am going to curl in my lovely warmy blanket and forget about my pains.

Nights.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

OKTOBERFEST 2009!

Guten tag~! Finally I step foot on Munich, one of the very big city for the biggest beer event in the world, the OKTOBERFEST!
And I am hitting the first day of the FEST!
The significant building of Munich, the town hall in Marienplatz.


My first experience on the Train, the DeutschBahn. It took us 3 hours to reach Munich from Erlangen on the normal train.

Once we reached there, we met up with Heidi's friend--Kim and his family. His dad asked us to go for lunch together in a very famous restaurant and it is SOOO crowded.


Hofbräuhouse, the restaurant and brewery.

A litre of beer per mass. Of course its not for me, I only drank a few sips.

And gosh the preise is huge! Finally I can find something that is bigger than my face, hahahaha.

AND HERE COMES THE FOOD.

The very famous pork hock, must eat in germany. The grilled one is the southern style.


And the boiled one is the northern style. It looks not inviting but it is quite yummy with some special sauce.


The famous white sausages.

Guten appetit! Finally I get to eat the famous German pork hock and sausages.


This is Kim and his daddy. Uncle is a really nice person, he treated us for all the food and stuff the whole day and keep asking us to visit him in Hannover.


I love camwhoring ;)

Group pic. Besides us girls others are Kim's family.


I like houses with leaves all over them.


Tzu-yu and I in the gothic style Munich.


When we bitch together!


Sugardaddy, LOL.


Finally the OKTOBERFEST!


It is something like a very very very huge fun fare, except that they too have a lot of very very very huge tents and full of people drinking beer in them.


Woo I like this picha!So typical fun-fare-ish!


I dunno what's this called nor what is it, its just selling everywhere and many people hang them around their neck. It looks like some biscuit. Perhaps you just hang them around your neck and eat them when you are hungry.


We are eating Eis almost everytime we go out! Gelatosssssssss.


Different symbol of the beer company and their tents.


And we went into this one.


Crowded and full of alchoholics.


Uncle buying us drinks again.


This time I have a full mass to myself.


Bad beer drinkers were we, neither of us finished more than 1/3. haha.


The locals wearing their traditional clothes, sharing a table with us ;)


Me and Kim's friend Benedikt.


Yee chun gets red sooo fast.


Strong drinkers, and in fact the german girl is only 17.


Burps. Heidi looking extremely OK. haha.


Our table. When there is some alchohol in the body, everyone started to talk so much with random people and shout and yell. Everyone just gets high. And you can see the people ended up sitting with other strangers in different tables. Alchohol plays the networking well.

Ya ya ya, people prost!


She cheers too hard with her mug and the mug actually has a very deep breakage.



tipsy wipsy.


Ppork sandwich for dinner again. OMG so FAT!!! I am feeling sick about meat now!!

We departed back to Erlangen at nine.


The toilet in Munich station, looking highclass, haha. U gotta put in 80cents Euro to get in. GOSH RM4 per peeee. I don't like Europe toilets, you need to pay.

Afterall it is a really good trip and OKTOBERFEST is a worth seeing event!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

2nd week in Erlangen

Its officially a week and a half in Erlangen, and I am starting to like this place.
I love the new friends that I know, love the nice little european feel buildings, also loving my imperfect dorm :) Everything is so far so good!

I got a rice cooker finally!! Its the display unit and I got 2 Euros discount after bargaining! LOL I know that is not very much but at least better than none right!

I have travelled to Rothenburg with the language course mates and luckily I get to know a few new friends, especially Heidi and Yee-chun whom I could say is closest to me now. Heidi always ride me in her bike and we were wondering if that is legal until today we were being told off by a police!! SO, God bless me to get a nice and cheap bike during the flee market this sunday! I seriously neeeed a bike!


Rothenburg, this scene is all over the travel books so we have to take a pic in front of it!


Nice little square in front of the city hall and mayor tavern.


Heidi was so into teddy bear and she kinda influenced me! This is the original Steiff teddy bear and the teddies are very very expensive!

What I have been learning in the language class is still very limited thus I couldn't have conversation with the people here, well not if they are speaking english. Its pretty impressive that you see everyone speaking in Deutsch although they were all of different nations. SO I wana try my best to learn as much and speak like a Deutsch!




The coursemates after class activity in Schlossgarten, a very beautiful garden among the uni buildings. They sing, they drink and they shisha-ed. And I did neither of them. LOL. "Aku anak timur"

-Heute-


While we were waiting for Eliza in front of the bank. Seth with the pretty flowers :)


And me with the very tourist pose!

After class, Heidi, yc and I went to the Bahnhof to get our train tickets to Munich tommorow.They have so many different tickets and I feel lucky not being the one buying it.YES I AM GOING TO THE OKTOBERFEST TOMMOROW! Lucky me getting here just in time to witness the biggest festival in Germany :) and lucky me living in Bavaria which we can buy the Bayern ticket and share among ourselves which cost us less than 10 Euros per person!

Then we meet up with some Japanese friends to head for ice creams! Well I "performed" my Japanese and they all laughed so hard at all the useless and dirty Japanese. OPPS.

Maiko-chan. They don't speak much english and I don't speak much Jap and can't speak Deutsch yet, so we kinda communicate rather weirdly. haha. OK I need to learn Japanese and Deustch.


Yee chun, Ritchie and Heidi (the ice cream freak).

I think I look really kampung-ish. haha. me likey.
Seriously need more clothes and some people to boost up my fashion conscience.


And finally my 1st clothes shopping in Germany :)
I love H&M! Its something like Zara and MNG but its a little bit cheaper I guess?
Dunno.

Anyway thats my little update this week,
Ich mag Deutschland <3

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The long awaiting mail


Its like FINALLY I got this mail.
I have been recalculating my average again and again and thought I deserved to be transferred to an advanced degree and finally I got this notice that if I keep it up I will be able to transfer next session!

FROM: dwhitby
TITLE: Distinction Average / Advanced Degree
MESSAGE:

Dear Faculty of Science Student

After reviewing the grades for Autumn Session 2009, I wish to write to congratulate you on your outstanding performance of a Distinction average or better. Should you continue with this level of performance for next session, you will be eligible to transfer to an Advanced degree.

While you will be completing the same subjects, at the same level, with the same assessment tasks as students who are not in an Advanced degree, there are several advantages to transferring into an Advanced degree. These include:

1) Your testamur, at Graduation, will note that you completed an Advanced degree. This is a flag to potential employers that you are an exceptional student.

2) You will automatically proceed to an Honours program. The Advanced degree is a four-year program.

3) You may enrol in a research project subject in your discipline area, working with an academic with their research project

Haha, very happy right now :) Gotta study harder! Its the first step towards Dean List. LOL very "tai lam tau".

Deutschland - LANDED!

Finallllly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I stepped foot on Deutschland!
Guten tag!

There is so much that I wanted to tell!! But well I have no idea what to say first.
Alrights I will start with my boring flight. The flight was OK, but seriously KLM's food is not very nice. I hardly touched any of the food until the last meal from Amsterdam. The Dutch bread was super nice! And lucky me I had some sleep during the flight because I bought the Guardian travel neck pillow!!!! GOSH CHEAP AND NICE, only Rm8.90!!

I reached Amsterdam and it took me an hour to clear the customs and immigration, and when I wanted to go online on the wireless during my boring waiting time, I realised you need to PAY FOR THE CONNECTION! Bloody hell, like 5 euros for 15 mins or what. OK I gave up, and I was quite nervous because I am kinda worried that my buddy wouldn't pick me up at the airport later but luckily she did showed up.

Well I reached Nuremberg in the morning and I was bloooody tired. But it's not time to check in yet so we walked and walked and walked to everywhere, trying to buy some beddings and went to the Cafeteria "Mensa" beside my campus for lunch. Not really good and healthy food though, and they just opened for lunch.

Finally I got to check in and I was quite dissapointed at the room. Although my expectation has been low but I still feel the slight dissapointment at first. HOWEVER, now I totally feel OK with it. Don't complaint too much because I am paying at a low price. It's only 122 euros PER MONTH, electricity bill might cost another 8 euros, but that's it. And the internet is SUPER CHEAP AND FAST. Its only 15 euros PER SEM!! FLAT RATE! And it only took me a few secs to upload all these pics! WAHAHAHHA. Finally I have a fast connection!

View from outside my hostel - Alexandrium.



My small room, on the first floor. raum 175. A cupboard on the right and the wardrobe on the left behind that door.


The view outside my room, not bad after all.
Guys dorm is opposite.


The long long hallway. Its really scary at night because they don't on the lights!

My room is the nearest room from the stairs, kitchen, common room and toilet which is really good. Its really eerie to walk all the way down the hallway isn't it? But something very bad about my room its that the sun is shining right into my window no matter morning or evening! In the morning the bloody sun that shines on the other side got reflected by the guy's dorm windows!!Luckily I had a thick curtain that blocks the sun!

So after the first day landing, I started to the German Intensive Language Course. I am having jet lag as I slept at 8pm and woke up around 3am @@ But I managed to wake up around 6am now.haha. I have to walk A LOT here in Erlangen. I walk every morning to and after class which takes me an hour. Then I will walk to the town, deal with some admin stuff and settling things. Averagely I walk 3-4 hours a day. SO, I am going to get a bike as soon as possible!!! Oh ya, Erlangen is a 2nd most bike-friendly town in Germany, you see bicycles ALL around the city, yound or old, student or workers, most of them bike! The Germans told me that Erlangen is one of the wealthy place in Germany. As most of the residence here are uni students, and you can see Siemen buildings everywhere, and some kinda big factory workers, the people here are basically rich. And the town is clean and safe :)

I told me dad it is better than Wollongong, at least the shopping mall is newer and bigger, and dad said "OH SO ITS BASED ON THE SHOPPING MALL" hahahahas. Because I didn't have internet connection the past few days, I have to wait till today to call home. I thought I would feel really homesick or what (because when I first reached I seriously felt very bad, everything is in German, everyone speaks German, and I don't understand anything at all, and there aren't much Asian around), however I felt extremely OK the next day. Seems like the princess's adventure has started.



Seth and Sergi, language course mates.
I met so many Europeans in class, and the way they speak with those latin or some other accents are so SEXY.


Eliza and her bread.


Looking seriously chan. THAT BREAD SUCKS. Its full of salt and it's like eating a bunch of salt directly. That's our lunch outside a bakery somewhere near the class.


Some fish burger I got from the mall, I have been eating bread every meal @@
Most of the time I just have white toast with strawberry jam.
POOR TUMMY WANTS MUMMY.


I hate the time difference!! Germany is 6 hours behind Malaysia and 8 hours behind Australia!



I took very little pictures as I was always walking alone on the street, wandering around, no one can snap me with the nice scene here. Seriously the feeling of walking on the European streets with all these Medieval buildings give me a great feeling of relaxation and freedom!


Oh, and my hostel is bloody cool, we have cigarettes and alcohols vending machine, and we have a Underground Basement that holds party. Outsiders called us the Party Dorm! The underground basement has a bar, dance floor, pool table and foos, and the girls and boys from every floor take turns to organise a party for everyone, we had to sell food and beer!!! I went to one yesterday but I was bloody sleepy caused by jet lag, I just stayed for 10 minutes and left. Well I am not in such a party-mood here, you need your gang to get high and my gang is not here!

Its only 9.30pm and I am starting to feel sleepy again!!! Anyway I think I like this place although I spent most of my time watching dramas in my room at the moment. I will explore more of Deutschland and tell everyone!!!

Gute Nacht!!! Tshuss.