Berlin Trip (Day 1) - part 3

18 ~ 20 March 2011

More buildings and buildings....cannot really remember what the guide has said...
One particular statement of his is very worth remembering though...A life lost is Serious, a big matter..but when thousands n millions of live r lost..they r just merely statistics! This statement is really impactful to me...It reflects the reality... sad but true.. that what I feel...
This is a pic ~ memorial for the victims of WWII (place for remembering the dead, solemn and quiet place..rather big empty space with only the statue in the centre)

okie more pics for enjoyment...and gd german food..well which is just beer and sausages...

A beautiful building...but dislike by many because it is said tt the building has no theme or meaning...it is a mixture of different themes n style without any clear significance as to which theme or style it belongs to..The place outside our restaurant....beautiful architecture...

Dinner!.....expensive but nevetheless yum yum... =)

Next we head back to our 4 **** HOtel ~ Holiday INN

Our gals room..okie it is bedtime..will continue a post on Berlin day 2 ~ concentration camp!

Berlin Trip (Day 1) - part 2

18 ~ 20 March 2011

Lesson continues....
This is a typical Nazi architecture...hmmm..personally I tink it is just a normal building..similar to those in sg...but well I dont understand architecture well enough...
This is one of the largest and oldest building in Europe..(at least tt what I remember)...it is the Nazi office and the only building that escape from destruction during WWII despite it huge structure...it is not destroyed due to pure luck! Maybe its massive structure serves as a landmark for the Allies..so it is not destroyed...this building remind pple of their dark history past hence it is not popular and well liked...
Today it is not well liked as well..due to it being the TAX OFFICE! hahaha..
The infamous BERLIN WALL!....well actually it is just concrete...nothing special...look at the pix...u will know what I mean...
Though it is nothing special on the exterior..it carry lots of meaning, stories and significance..there r a few stories about the berlin wall..(berlin wall is constructed by the Soviet to separate East berlin from West berlin that is controlled by democracy) One of the famous stories is that a young west berlin guy fall in love with a east berlin girl..in order to bring the girl from the west to the east which is strongly prohibited (may even be killed by the guards), the guy had a car that can drive sooo low that it zoom past the guard and through the small hole under the wall! The guards cannot even react at that point of time! They just stare at it blindly! From tt on, the Soviet decided to modify the wall till it fully cover all available spaces to escape!
This is a pic of the Soviet army staring at the democractic WEST berlin.
This the USA soldier staring back at the Soviet ruled east berlin during post WWII.
The pics r still hanging there to remind people of the opposing ideologies and how WWIII nearly started!

Some pic for sightseeing...cannot rmb the history of these building as spoken by the guide anymore... wil continue in another post! Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday Niu Li !!

29 March 2011

Dear Niu!! So sorry I cannot post this on ur actual DAY! I am soo pre- occupied during this period of time...

Anyway hope to wish u happiness and longevity..haha sound like some Chinese couplets...
Hope u like the COW tt I buy for u!...Pls remember the meaning of this special pressie..haha and pls USE it!!

All the best in your studies and exam! =))
Really miss u lots!

I'm starting to miss my friends in sg when I am overseas..not that I am unhappy.I am happy..it is just that I am not myself..I am always afraid of something.. I don't dare to make people angry, I don't dare to throw temper, I don't dare to show displeasure...it is just alot of don't dare..that makes me not myself...nevertheless I am still happy here..so don't worry!

Berlin Trip (Day 1) - part 1

18 March ~ 20March 2011

Belin trip! Took a 6hrs plus train to Berlin...

Day1: Join a free city tour organised by Sandeman tour. The Australian Tour guide is the best I ever seen! He is sooo interesting, they way he speaks, his actions and his knowledge of the city in Berlin is fantastic. He makes history come ALIVE!

Let me start the history lesson of berlin! (Flipping thru my photos to refresh my memory)
The above pix is the Brandenburger Tor. It is a landmark in Berlin. The lady (if u can see) sitting on a carriage is Victoria. She is a representative of victory. In the past, Germany known as Prussia, and at that time Prussia is a powerful country that conquered many places. It defeated France and this wall is erected to celebrate the victory. Coincidentally, when the statue and wall are rebuilt after being destroyed in WWII, Victoria is facing towards the French embassy ~ indication that Germany is always a victor against the French!
(I forget alot of what the tour guide said!!...)
This is the Reistag ~ parliament. It is a very beautiful building...It was once burned down by Hitler and his Nazi party when Hitler gain power prior to WWII..(if any of u have history textbook, u will realise u have learn about the Reistag Fire...)This is the holocaust memorial. It is a very controversial memorial. One of the issues is that the memorial is built in a place with no significance to the place of the holocaust. It is weird for people who want to remember their love ones in a totally unrelated place.On the other hand, the purpose of building it in the city centre is to make it conspicious for the tourists so that they can learn and understand and at the same time trying not to rake up the painful past of the holocaust to the victims of WWII.

There is no meaning as to what the blocks represent. All the information given is that it is same width and thickness with varying height. What one interpret is simply the meaning of it... so theories include the blocks represent the rise of the nazi (from small to big then back to small again), some says it is the bar charts of the Jews population...etc

Okie..I am tired will continue again tmr..stay tuned for more interesting history facts!

Happy Birthday Yifang!

18 ~19 March 2011

If u ever see this....

Hello Yifang!! Happy 22nd Birthday! Enjoy your cruise (jealous that I cant gg cruise!). Hope u like the video I make for u and NIU..haha it is very silly right? I don know what to say since I feel weird trying to video myself which I nvr tried it b4!

Still it is just a small thought on my part! =)

Haha whatever birthday msg I have for u is already on ur 3 (may I emphasize is THREE) birthday card and the card I made for u!

Anyway hope life goes on gd for u and all the best in ur studies, lovelife and health!

I miss u! Take care! =)

ARGH!

16 ~ 17 March 2011

Arghhhh!!! went to do administration at the Rathaus to extend my visa permit..and met with so mnay prob! All the germans r soo friendly when I came here, I hav a rude shock when I finally met the MEANS ones...okie I am being biased..they r just soo unfriendly....

So I am still stuck with my visa problem!

To add on to my prob...the studentenwerk (in charge of housing) deducted 550 euros form my germany bank acct! I already paid them 500 euros when I am in sg and now they still deduct my MONEY..arghh..I have so many things on hand and now I have this to add on to the fold!

how how how.... =(

Stammtisch

15 March 2011

Attended a stammtisch (get together) tonight in a student bar with many international students! It was FUN! I learnt lots of Spanish on that day....mix well with the mexican...

One mexican guy tried Chinese tongue twister...hahahahah it was hiliarious!

The mexicans greet each other by kissing the cheeks, haha and they greet me and my friends the same way too..haha erm..feel funny at lst but by now I am getting use to it...

Good thing about SEP..get to experience different culture...

ARgghhh...stil gt sooo many admin stuff havent settled...

Personal Thoughts

15 March 2011

Been here in Stuttgart for 2 weeks already....many thoughts went thru my mind today...
I have been cooking dinner everyday, doing laundry myself, buying my own supplies, sometimes gg to sch myself....wow....

I really do not have any sense of directions..and that is really BAD BAD BAD in germany! Friends r not always with me and I must learn to noe the way!! arghh..how am I gg to do it?

German lessons still as boring as ever...

haiz..family problems as usual!

And I really like to wish tt Japan is alright after the repeated disaster....

Trip to Feldberg

12 March 2011
A Trip to the snowy mountains in Feldberg which is the highest peak in the Black forest (Schwarzwald)! The place is really very beautiful with all the snowy mountains and of course the black forest!
A little knowlege on why the forest is known as black forest: The name Schwarzwald, i.e. Black Forest, goes back to the Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains there as Silva Nigra , i.e. "Black Forest," because the dense growth of conifers in the forest blocked out most of the light inside the forest.

This is the place for most skiers to ski during winter and early spring season..And it is my first time trying skiing!
Arghhh...it is tough job..the shoes are soo thick and heavy, I had a hard time trying to get my foot inside the shoes and buckling them...next I had to fit my shoes onto the huge and heavy skiers...
It is really difficult to ski or walk on the snowy mountains and slope. The guys are enjoying themselves uphill while I am stuck alone downhill. Rj and wL are not skiing so thr is only me alone! I was a little worried and afraid without the gals beside me, what more I don even know how to ski and I am all alone trying to learn how to ski!!

Arghh... that was not a gd feeling at all! Luckily, I manage to see rj and wl..and they helped me alot..they take photos of me and tried to help me to ski..eventually I managed to ski a little and things get better and fun...

Some pix of my learning to ski process.....

There are a lot of unglam photos and video of me! The guys are like laughing and laughing and laughing at me! erm...I feel so self conscious and weird...but of crs I tried not to show because I don't want to spoil the mood and the atmosphere...

The next time I gg skiing, I must gg with someone that will help and guide me! Not like those guys..roar! hmmmm...who can I ask??

How I wish sike is with me during skiing! I know laoda will sure enjoy it! I can imagine laoda smile and excitement over skiing..haha!

Still skiing is a new experience for me.....just glad tt the gals r with me and I am not alone...next we tour around the small town called titisee..beautiful!

Dinner is gd! The restaurant (Bergsee) that we went served really excellent black forest cake!
Yum yum..

Bedtime is waiting for me.....

International Party

1 March 2011 (Friday)

Went to a party today with my friends...
Party is not bad, there isn't soo many smokers around..haha but I guess i am not a party girl...i cant seem to immerse myself in the music and beer...nevertheless I made some Singaporean friends from NTU n 2 taiwanese girls! They r really nice pple!


Germany culture ~ Party and party and party... music, dancing, beer, smoking, being high...That really so different in sg..I guess that the culture shocked I received..the other europeans, americans, mexicans, brazilians etc etc really can fit into the culture except ASIANS!

I met some of my classmates in my german class in the party..I never talk to them but when they saw me in the party, they hugged me TIGHTLY!! hahaha .... i guess party is the time where pple make friends most easily! They r soo hardworking and serious in class, but when it comes to party, they go all the way out!

Still that day is gd despite the mere 3 hrs of sleep! =)

9 march =(

Not happy today!
So many things on my mind...kind of unhappy with sep..haiz..I can nvr be close with certain pple no matter how i much i try..hmmm...i should not expect too much..i should depend on myself much more now... well i stil gt sike, niu and some nus friends so I will get over it!

Oh but i am very touched when I'm am homesick, alot of my friends encourage me through fb!
I would like to say thank you even though u may not get 2 see or hear it! =)

Excursion - 2nd day of class

8 March 2011

An excursion to some places in stuttgart!
I climb up the tower! Amazing feat! It is very shaky toward the top..not recommended for the weak hearted..haha!



Get to see some animals moving around in enclose area..there are ponies, lamas, pigs and horses! I never get 2 see lama and ponies in sg b4...gd sightseeing...

After tt we went to take a look at the suana and swimming pool in the mineral bath....well in germany, females and males have 2 be COMPLETELY naked in order 2 get inside the sauna room otherwise u wil be chased out!

Their sauna temp is crazy..50~60 degrees is the lowest, 70~90 is med and 100 is the highest!
100 degrees!! tt is boiling temp! but surprisely many pple prefer 100 degrees as compared to the others...mayb due 2 the cold weather?

Well, there is no free lunch after all! After the excursion, we all need to submit a essay...haiz...