guests...

the night before guests arrive are always hectic for me.  I have to contend with tidying up, and even though there wasn't much to tidy, I still find things that could be better.

what is it with people coming that makes us show our best, and not just who we are normally?

lonely christmas

it looks like it's going to be a lonely christmas in Germany. 

Plans somehow fell through, and I think I will cook for myself again.  On the menu at this point is yellow curry chicken and meatloaf. 

happy holidays to everyone!

nationalism

I used to be ashamed of being Filipino.  Now, I still am a bit, I think.  But not as much as before.

I think it's growing up in a country where all you hear about other places are the good things, and all you read/see/hear about your own country are the bad things.  Where the news you see everyday shows only bad news, and none that ever show the good side.  At least, this was when I was growing up.

It took at least 6 years of living away from my country for me to see the light.  I saw how the everywhere else was pretty much the same and that I should be proud of who I am and where I come from.

It's a difficult road coming to this, and I know there's still more to come that's not easy. 

Part of me wants to go back to what I liked doing before - organizing community activities for the betterment of society, helping out, etc.  But here, I balk at the idea, and go back into thinking why? how?  what's in it for me?

It sucks that I go through this.  I guess this is another rambling note from a misguided soul.

it's cold outside...

...and it has been since I got back from holidays in the Philippines. 

These past week, we've had temperatures hover around -5 degrees Celsius.  There are breaks when it goes up to 3 or 4 degrees, but they're short periods and usually punctuated with rain. 

I can deal with the cold, but not the cold AND the rain.  Nothing irks me more than wet pants (the legs that almost always gets wet) and wet shoes and socks. 

Can we have rain only in the warmer months and snow in the cold months? 

contracts contracts contracts

I signed my third contract for internet access last Saturday. Hopefully, one of those companies will come through.

Moving is annoying.  Especially if you're moving to an unfurnished apartment.  In the middle of winter (or with temperatures like the middle of winter).  You don't only have to move, you have to acquire furniture, and move them in.

And you have to deal with electricity, water, heating and internet. 

Will be there soon.

plodding along...

... at 12 kbits/sec!

That is even slower than dial-up! 

I just moved to my new 1-room (studio) apartment here in Heidelberg.  I moved from a 28 square meter one to an even smaller apartment, albeit more expensive.  Why?, you ask.  Well, I had a 1 year limit in my old apartment, so I left. 

See, my old apartment was fully-furnished and the new one is not.  It sucks.  I plopped about 700€ at Ikea the past two weekends just to make my new apartment live-able.  Now, I have a bed, a sofa bed (that will fit two people easily), a table (I was eating on my bed before) and a chair.  :-D  Now anyone can come visit!

But yeah, before I wander to far, no internet yet! Just my O2 stick, and with my internet habits I was sent back to GPRS speed in 2 days.  Who knew there is a limit to how you can surf?  Ugh.

I can't wait for KabelBW to do my connection.  Mr Saturn better be true to his word, otherwise, I know where he works!

language...

I had to get prescriptions filled today at my friendly neighborhood Apotheke.  Unfortunately, the lady who helped me did not (want to) speak English, and I ended up having to use my very rudimentary German to get what I needed. 

It would have been easier if the pharmacy had everything I need, except that she had to order a couple of items on my list, and the others I had to come back after a few hours.  Sigh.  She said something to me in German that completely went over my head, and I was having trouble getting back to her.

Sigh. 

I ended up just taking the prescriptions to another pharmacy and getting them filled there. 

Who needs 30euros worth of medication?

sucks being sick...

... in a foreign land.

Especially with no family around.  No one to dote on you, make you chicken soup, buy you medicine, ask you about your well-being. 

No one to help to make you feel better. 

I know I have to do these on my own, but it does feel good to have family around.  Regardless of how dysfunctional they may be.

new concept

I'm really crappy at keeping things constant.

This time, I'm changing the way I'm going to write (yes, I will start writing again) on here.  It'll be random ramblings and I'm not going to care much whether I write with perfect grammar.  I think, my point will be to just have somewhere where I can jot down my thoughts that is not facebook. :-D


I hope I'm going to be better at this.