Category Archives: Life

Book challenge

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This sounds like a good project for 2006…

Read 26 books in 12 months by authors you haven’t read before. One for each letter of the alphabet (going by the first letter of the last name of the author).

I’ll add to the list in my reading log as I get recommendations for writers I don’t know already!

In life update news: Yesterday I finally showed my family (and my brother’s girlfriend) the photos from my Japan trip. Afterwards we went to dinner at the only ‘real’ Japanese restaurant in Basel, where the manager was a bit too much of a snob but the food was excellent (and prepared right at the table):

Restaurant Sakura, Basel . Restaurant Sakura, Basel . Restaurant Sakura, Basel

Tomorrow I’ll get some driving practice in: Our neighbours are on vacation, so we have the use of their car, and my parents suggested that we do a daytrip, to the Papilliorama. Looking forward to it, although I’m a bit nervous, as always when I get a chance to drive.

New projects

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There are two things I’m currently playing with – what with not having much to do at uni until starting my thesis in January, this seems like the time.

One is focusing my web activities – I currently own nine domains, just because it’s so easy and cheap to buy them, and it’s just getting too spread out and complicated. So there’ll be some big changes – I’ll even get rid of this domain, in all probability, creating a new one that is just my stuff, blog and all. But that’s in the future, as it’ll take me a while to prepare this move.

The other thing is that I’m thinking of creating a podcast – just somewhere where I ramble about my life in Switzerland, my travels, my interests. I’ve been playing around with Audacity, creating soundbites to use as title, ending and segment music. It’ll be Gilmore Girls themed, matching my new domain. We’ll see how that goes… 🙂

Chocolate cake

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Tomorrow my second cousin with his wife and daughter are coming for a visit. Our two families get along very well, so I’m looking forward to seeing them again. For the occasion my mom made me bake – a very messy activity when done by me *g* – and since I translated the recipe for a friend anyway, I thought I’d share:

My Grandmother’s Chocolate Cake:

200g butter
250g sugar (we actually take less)
8 eggs – separate white and yolk, whip the white
240g chocolate (mix of cooking and milk chocolate) – grind it
150g ground almonds
100g zwieback (rusk?) – grind it

Whisk the butter until it’s foamy, add egg yolk and sugar and stir for five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, egg snow last by moving it gently under the rest. Pour it into the buttered baking-tin.

Pre-heat oven 10 minutes to 200°C.
Bake for 45 minutes on 180°C, then test it.

When the cake’s cooled off, add chocolate glazing.

I do hope the cooking talk translates… especially seeing that I’m definitely not an expert, even in German. *g*

It’s dark outside…

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…and I have to leave for uni in 45 minutes. That’s just strange. I’m glad that this class (the only one I’m taking this semester, except for the French class at the community college) is normally at 4pm. But a friend of mine is doing a presentation of her thesis, so I’m actually looking forward to going there. I just wish it was still light outside… Don’t feel like cycling, that’s way too active – good thing I have the card for the public transport this month! 🙂

Today I’m faking it

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I’m faking doing the things I’m supposed to do (like French class), I’m faking being up to talk (with other students, with my family – later today with my therapist), I’m faking smiling and being friendly (and think I’m succeeding). Mainly I hope that it will start feeling real if I fake it long enough. No idea whether it’s SAD or just the aftermath of a bad night with strange and uncomfortable dreams. It’s the first time in months that I’ve felt this way, so I’m not really worried. Everyone has off days like that.

It’s not as if I’m really down or sad or anything – just a bit… numb. So don’t worry about me, okay?

Don’t even know why I’m posting this here, except that I haven’t posted in too long again and just want to communicate something, even if it’s not the usual ‘this is going on in my life’… Sorry for the downer.

New site layout

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Started a layout revamp for my domains several months ago and finally, finally finished it yesterday. The long time it took me to get it done is the reason why theme is a bit summery – the picture I used for the polaroid on chocolate dream is me, on vacation in Crete when I was 16. My mom took it and I just love the colors – Falassarna had the most gorgeous beach I’ve ever been to… Good memories.

In a little while I’m leaving to see Elizabethtown as a press preview. It’s good to have a brother who gets that sort of invites but is too busy with his girlfriend to actually go – only Wednesday I had the good fortune to see Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Fantastic movie – and perfect fit for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Not that we really celebrate this over here, but anyway. 🙂

Reminds me: I should catch up on my imdb voting for the last few weeks.

Real Life begins again

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The semester has started yesterday. Not that it has much of an impact this time, since I finished all my classes and now have time until mid-January to decide on a topic for my thesis, the writing of which will take up the first half of 2006.

Therefore I have only signed up for one class at uni. I’ve also decided to use the time I have now to brush up my French, so this morning I went to Riehen (takes me about 50 minutes, one way) for a 15 weeks course at the community college, focussing mainly on conversation, which is my big trouble area. It’s hard for me to have to grope for words – but I’m just tired to be embarrassed of how bad my French is after all the years of classes in school…

Other than that, I’ve taken out my beloved sheepskin (birthday gift from several of my friends) and my comfy blanket and am spending some quality time with some favorite movies (finally got ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ on DVD when I was in Singapore, after years of only owning the videos) and lots (probably a bit too much *g*) of yummy Swiss chocolate. Aren’t you envious? 🙂

Not feeling the SAD yet, but I’ve started drinking my St. John’s Wort tea just in case – I want to be able to enjoy my ‘free’ months and get things done, both on- and offline.

Travel soundtrack

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I just posted the ‘ultimate’ version of a playlist I created for my Japan trip to my travel journal: Japan 2005 – 21 songs, with some explanations why I chose them. Thought some of you might like it.

Just something I felt like doing, since I’ve been feeling a bit quiet and subdued today. I’m also uploading my photos right now, although it’ll take a while, as there are almost 400 of them… 🙂

And my mom just came home with the last raspberries of the summer. Happiness. *smile*

Guess who’s back, back again…

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(And yes, I did hear Eminem in my head as I typed this subject line. *g*)

Japan was an incredible experience, as was Singapore before it. You can read all about it in my travel log, if you haven’t already, and there’ll be pictures later this week.

Now I’m home and currently experiencing the usual anxiety of having to find back to everyday life and all its tasks. But overall I’m happy to be back and am looking forward to catching up with my friends, both on and offline. Maybe one or two of the people I met during my trip will pop up here, which would be awesome. Who knows… In any case, I’m taking it easy today, making lists of stuff that needs doing in the next weeks, just generally settling back in.

This afternoon I might not to much more than finish unpacking (ooh, all those lovely new books to fit on my shelves!) and watch TV. Although I didn’t really miss it while I was out and about exploring Japan, I’m still looking forward to curling up on my couch and just lazing about. Plus, while I was gone season 4 of my beloved Gilmore Girls and season 1 of Lost arrived from amazon.com… *curls up with a mug of hot tea*

Sayonara!

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In a little while I’ll be leaving for another big trip: 1 week in Singapore and 4 weeks in Japan. This week has been crazy busy with all the preparations while I still had to finish the paper, but now I’m all ready, although very nervous and excited.

As always, I’ll try and update my travel log regularly with the latest news, and you can always reach me by email. Stay in touch – and ‘see’ you again October 17! 🙂

Satellite view of Japan