A week closer to my last day of work and regardless of some set backs I am determined to succeed.
I went to the arbeitsamt and my hopes for support from them were scattered. I would only get support to start my own business if the job market in my industry would have nothing to offer. As I have experience in a call center there are plenty of jobs available. Why are there so many jobs available? Because nobody wants them. Well obviously some wanting and even I wanted this a while back. After talking to my "advisor" I have limited options. I could cheat the system, but honestly I am not the type for that. So all I have left is to rely only on my own. Get as many applications out there as possible. First I need to get a better application picture. Right now I have the option between a 6 year old picture or a selfie. Both terrible options for a serious job application. I wonder why pictures are still relevant. They only lead to subconscious stereotyping. Anyways, talking about more positive things in life: I went for my first IPL session. It didn't hurt and my skin seems to be fine. So all that is left is to wait for the long term results. Also very spontaneously my mom is going to visit me on the weekend. All I can think is: I should clean!!!! All I do is not cleaning though....somethings wrong....
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It was a good day and I was indeed excited to go to les miserable after work. Especially as I had the day off the next day -again.
We went to have dinner before the show and opted for a local Italian restaurant and I did not eat the whole desert menu (it was only 3items on the card and we shared!). I actually had to leave a quarter of the pizza I had ordered . Though I got to take it with me in a doggy bag. (It lasted until the interval) What I did not notice earlier was that we would not be watching the renowned Broadway version but a weird adaptation that was so bad that it was funny again. The actors were terrible singers. As in I can probably hit as many notes as they can. However, always searching for a silver lining -as tough to by my boss-, the orchestra was really good. They came from Cologne and were conducted by a woman which is a rare thing to be sure. The next morning I am all excited about my dad coming over to finally get my birthday present installed. A visit to Obi and almost no assistance on my part, the screen is now operational. I also used my dads' visit to get him to fix my dishwasher. Not that the dishwasher was broken, but I had no idea how to get it attached to the water drain as it turns out ikea is not always the best option to go for. We actually had to build a sort of adapter for me to be able to connect the dishwasher. In the end it all seems to be working fine-more or less. I will have to monitor the pipes below the kitchen sink. It seems that the old tabs are leaking and I need to assess if turning off the pressure slightly is enough to fix it or if I need to search for a plumber. My dad left the same evening-not before eating at a local Italian again (delicious) and having a piece of cake in the cafe kirchplatz. Once he left I got to inaugurate my very own cinema. Now I forced myself to not watch anymore Netflix for a little while. This is highly addictive and I have to stay focused on my goals. So I made a schedule. Something to get a better routine. Especially once I am off work it will important to self-motivate and organize. Next steps: Go to gym 4times a week Create a detailed business plan Create a spending sheet Apply for part time jobs A lot to do. A lot to do. And there lies the problem with last minute ideas: they almost always mess up the plan. Because I wanted to have a few of my designs printed out in case I wanna show them (not that that would actually happen), I missed the subway I wanted to take. Well technical issue with my printer delayed me leaving. With a 15min delay I got into a subway to arrive at the s-bahn station and naturally the trains are delayed due to engine issues... With all of this I am almost certain I won't get to the green salon in time to listen to the talk about gots at 12noon.
I want to throw a tantrum about how stupid I am and how unfair the world is and that karma is indeed a bitch. But as that won't change a thing, instead I am focusing on writing. Thinking about the positive things in live. I slept in - I have a day off- the s-bahn is heated but not hot- I am on my way to an event that only fashion insiders can go to. I am so glad I am working with Anna! Now I do want to throw that tantrum after all. I am 1-2 stations away from the postbahnhof and they just played the message that we will be delayed as the rails are blocked! I mean come on! Karma, what have I done to deserve to be on your bad side? So I did indeed miss the GOTS talk. In the meantime I found some good sources that might help me find a local manufacture for my print as well as garments. Getting a smaller carbon footprint already. Overall this show confirms the natural view of Eco-fashion. Dull prints or plain colors all over the place. In total I found two designers that actually had bright colors in print. One of them used recycled polyamid. With that I would have liked to learn where they produced but they were never available for questions. Now I am waiting on the next talk providing market research for the ethical fashion industry. What do I take away from that? Ethical fashion is now more than ever important for survival rather than nice to have. It is more responsible fashion than anything. And then on my way out I talked to Feldmann Wolf. The above mentioned designer and guess what they print their fabric in Stuttgart and the sewing is done in Buxtehude by refugees. Interesting. Now I had to decide if I stay there doing nothing for almost 4 hours or go home. Had I seen any of the labels that excited me from the show line up I might have. But having seen that they had videos on Facebook I decided to leave and review all the leavelets I had collected. In the end it was the right decision to leave. Watching the fashion show on Facebook I have to admit it was more professional than the alternative fashion show. And funny enough on stage even the dull designs looked extremely cool and I would consider wearing it. So I understand the appeal of this type of apparel. 49
I woke up and could still move. That is a good sign. And as advised by my trainer I am going to do some cardio in the gym now. However it took me 30min longer this morning to get all my stuff together. Later I will be meeting a friend from Spain. I feel like I'd rather sleep right now but I am still looking forward to seeing him again after almost 2years. Interestingly I managed to stay on the cardio for 35min but am now actually feeling some tension in my muscles. The trip to the gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer feels more like an odyssey and personally I don't find the idea of the place exciting or interesting at all. It is a symbol of separation and it should always be there to remind us of how stupid some governments can be, but to meet there for fun is something I cannot fathom. It was fecking freezing and I was waiting for 40 min. When I was finally giving up my friend run into me, who was waiting on the other end of the street. I was so angry with him though in hindsight it is probably for my fault than his (but don't tell anyone). We decided to search for a cafe to get warmed up I had a hot white chocolate and a quiche- not very vegan of me :( but it was delicious. Now I am hoping to get into bed by 10, otherwise I won't make it to get up at 5 to 5.30. I was thinking about my Eurovision outfits... I really want to fit into my dress from last year and make a few new ones. As I have the prints already I need to get my thinking cap on for the design. This time I want to make something with a bit more quality than my last years attempts. Considering that I have time to design and any of my silhouette designs can be interpreted for Eurovision I am hopeful. 48 Waking up at 6.30 indicated that I was indeed not fit for the gym. Instead I booked my next flight to Dublin after several attempts during the weekend had failed. Talking about Dublin: severe weather warning was issued due to chances of snow and temperatures plummeting to -1C. Considering that it was -8C in Berlin with quite some snowfall I smile at the idea of the mild weather in Ireland. 47 Right now nothing seems to motivate me to get out of bed. In the end it took me about an hour. Which also means I will have only about an hour in the gym. At least I am going. 46 I am looking forward to tonight. I am going to the theatre to see my fair lady. From the looks of the posters it is a classical adaptation. Which to me also means I get to see a few beautiful garments. Highlight from a fashion point of view were the black/white outfits at the racecourse. Overall it was a 7/10. The vocal performance was good but not great. The theatrical part was really good from most roles. 45 IKEA day. Today I set out to get my kitchen an upgrade by getting a kitchen table and a mini dishwasher. Also my tab had to be fixed as it was leaking. So glad I have a handy neighbor friend, who fixed the leak and accompanied my to ikea (and media markt and Bauhaus). While I ended up not buying a table I was happy at the end of the day as I got the right idea of what I want for a table. I also got the extensions needed for my dishwasher (initially I wanted to hide the dishwasher under the sink but then the water would not have been able to drain.), and the projector screen that I get installed next Friday. I also got an audio connector for my sound station and a new DVD. 44 I have found a table. Searching online for a industrial wood to make my own table I found one on eBay that is exactly what I want... Well it is a bit too short, but I'm currently talking to the seller to see if he can manufacture one for me with longer legs. At the moment it might work with just a little increase in price. In the afternoon I went to see the Russian circus on ice. It was really aimed at children and therefore the presentations at times really low. However, artistically it was enjoyable. Highlight of the show was possibly the moment they started hula hooping with cubes. 43 My next EMS session. Today my arms seem to have been the focus of pain. Well, the things we do to get what we want... Today, however, have also learned something new that is probably useful for a lot of people trying to get rid of a few pounds in certain areas. No matter what sport you do, you cannot manipulate your body, to tell him where he should take from his reserves. So while sport will tone a specific area that becomes tighter, it will not necessarily makes you skinnier. For that purpose I actually have to create a negative energy balance at the end of the day and use the power of mind to hope for certain areas. 42 I am so excited. I just got a ticket to a fashion trade show. This one is two in one: the ethical fashion show Berlin and the green show room. In an ideal world I will get to see the talk about global organic textile standards, the salon show and the ethical fashion on stage as well getting to talk to some experts about green sourcing of fashion in Berlin and the options to reduce the carbon footprint of a collection. 41 I am getting ready for the trade show. I'm finally wearing my project denim jumper. The one I bought on the alternative fashion show last autumn... I think this day should get a separate post. 53
Off work. Trying to use all my holiday balance as everyone keeps telling me that getting them paid out is not worth it due to the horrendous taxes. I slept it-until 6.30. And then went to work. Well only next door. 70min work out is not too bad but I want to get back to my 90-120 min in the gym. I'll give it a month. Now it is all about packing. Gift wrapping and getting ready for my flight tonight. Packing my hand luggage. Though I almost have nothing to take with me. My bag probably only weights 5kg. And that is with the gifts. If I had time in Dublin I'd say I should go shopping. But I won't. I left my apartment at 7pm and arrived in good time for boarding at 7.50 only to have announced that my flight is delayed by 1h.... But I won't let that dim my happiness about going home. Checking my boarding pass I realized that it did not show my seat number. I was pretty sure I had booked a window seat in row 11. The stewardess should be able to help... As she did not have the passenger list just yet she was not much help. And naturally both window seats in row 11 were already occupied. It turned out though that I was right and 11A was my seat. As the flight was not fully booked instead of insisting on sitting on 11A, I asked to sit in one of the free rows. Upon that I was asked to sit in an exit row. Now, I really hope that the one time I am actually sitting at an overwing exit I do not have to use the instructions I naturally read carefully.... Good riddance... I hope everything will go smoothly once we land. I know I will need to go through another pass control and then to sixt. We'll see what kind of car I get. As ally I have requested the smallest car possible. 52 I woke up to bad Eurovision news. My apartment that I had booked month ago is ages away from the arena. I had asked the host but she said it is not that far. Now my initial co-traveler has found two other friends that want to go to Eurovision and thinks about renting this close by- really expensive flat and I cannot cancel mine, nor can I afford to pay for both apartments. Maybe I will find someone for at least a few days to join me.... Movie day. It is funny that in Berlin I never really have the desire to go to the movies. There are theaters showing movies in their original version with subtitles. But it is not the same. So this weekend I want to see assassins creed in cineworld, passengers in the savoy and finally rogue one in odeon. My friends probably won't be too impressed if I am in the movies all day long. But they could come along, right? I ended up watching assassins creed and as I have never played the game I could actually enjoy it even with in my opinion not the best cast. After meeting some of my vegan friends in a vegan restaurant (I had a hemp burger-not the best choice) I went to watch a movie that was not on my list: collateral beauty. Not outstanding but nice to watch. I finished my movie marathon with passengers. Firstly I cannot recommend the savoy. Compared to cineworld and odeon it is not a nice movie theatre. Secondly, I was glad that the chemistry between the two actors was better than the trailer had led on. It was partially predictable but overall a good movie. Afterwards I went to the party I had originally booked my flight to Dublin for. It was in a nice bar on the other end of town and a good few people showed up. I was happy to see quite a few familiar faces. 51 Instead of going to the rogue one I went for breakfast and shopping with my two former housemates. A beautiful dress and a leggings later I am now on my flight back to Berlin. It was a good day. It was overall a good trip. I miss Ireland. And it is bittersweet to bit it another farewell. I keep coming back though. My next stop on this beautiful island is in March -not for paddys day. 50 My first EMS training. Basically I let someone electrocute my body in order to get muscle stimulation. A 20min session should replace a 2h workout. It is a bit like cheating really.but at the same time I can see how the 20min make up for 2hours. Usually I would train only a certain muscle region at a time. Here 7 areas get worked simultaneously. It is a bit strange when you first but on this wet suit. Even weirder is the feeling when they start the electric impulses. I first had to laugh but that was soon over. It did not hurt much though. I will have to ask the trainer next time to only work my legs to the point that I can still walk stairs. Going home was quite a challenge. Walking down the stairs I was sure my knees would give in. And I felt like I had to throw up. 54 days to my last day at work. It is amazing what the prospect of not going back to work does to me! I am actually happy. It's not that I hate my job but I have this feeling that leaving will finally bring a good change with it. I feel like not having a plan and yet plan is astoundingly comforting. I know what I want and I know how I want it. Even the fear to fail is right now more a feeling of excitement. I feel like I am on a roller coaster just waiting for the thrill of the downwards ride. Knowing that it will go up again. At the moment I have so many things planned and booked that have nothing to do with work that most people probably think I cannot take my with to become an entrepreneur serious. And yet I do. But having worked 50h a week for something I had lost my passion for, I strongly believe that I can work 60-80h and still do the occasional off work thing. And tonight I am enjoying one of my birthday gifts. The one. A show featuring outfits by Jean Paul Gaultier. So in a way it is relating to my designing future. Maybe I get inspired to some crazy new ideas. I have my drawing pad with me and the ride home is about an hour long. Now I am waiting to get inside. 25min for the show to start. The buzzing of the people around me promises an evening of excitement. The temperature slowly rising with the Christmas decorations slightly out of place. But after all it is not 3kings yet so why remove it. The crowd is not all I expected and it is nice to see that at least some still dress up for an evening at the theatre. And this one is called palace. There is something quite interesting about a man in a tux and a black bow tie. There is something quite funny about the middle-aged woman with her golden sparkling dress. Probably the only fancy thing she owns. 15min to go and I am in the front row. My foot is basically touching the stage. Not being too tiny myself I am hoping for a small person at least to my right. The smell of cheap perfume is terrorizing. I might get used to it before the show starts. I am not sure what the staging is supposed to be. It looks like pants with a whole in the middle and a old map of the world as a print. I took a picture before they advised that fotos are not permitted. 8min to go. Might I be lucky enough to have the seat next to me empty? Could I really be that lucky.... No I was not. Seating on the wrong side.... Right.... Left.... Is that not just typically me? :)
Interval. Omg. I need them to slow down. I want to see all the outfits. There are so many! And so brilliant. There is a reason Gaultier is a superstar in haute couture. Everything is so beautiful and I think I missed some of it. I think it is amazing that even neon diving gear looks so fashionable. I think I even recognized a conchita in there. My personal favorite are the punks and leather village people. The garments were stunningly beautiful regardless if male or female couture. The show itself is also really nice. Beautiful songs. Amazing choreography and wonderfully artistic dancers. I think I'd like to the this show again but not first row. I think being so close gives your some advantages but let's you loose sight of the bigger picture. In the end it was a really great show though they did not need to end with a glitter bomb. I probably will find glitter god knows where over the next few days. I cannot decide if this year was awesome or a shit year. A lot of famous people died this year. Some real legends. This was also a very dark year in terms of politics. And to top it all off, this year ended with the death of one of my family's dogs, Sally.
At the same time this year is full of great memories with travels to London, Stockholm, USA, Vienna and moving from Dublin to Berlin. Also my big birthday aka doomsday was this year. This turned out to be way greater than I had imagined. So here my personal recap of 2016 January I don't even remember January. But looking back into my calendar I can see that it was still January when I handed in my designs for sampling. Also here my 2016 accident happened (breaking my big toe in two places and splitting of my nail during baking) yuck! February In February I had not only collected my new designs but went to my first fashion event, the London fashion weekend. Looking back and already during the event I felt this was a waste of time, however it was great to get to London and see kinky boots (still on crutches-which let to a better seat then I had originally booked) March March was the month of C2C . Country to country 2016 was awesome. 3 evenings of great country music in a row. I had standing tickets for all 3events. But guess what: I was still on crutches and ended up in very back sitting as standing wasn't really an option. April Was pretty eventless. So I'm moving on swiftly. May May oh May. I can already hear the European hymn of peace and freedom. Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden and I had a fan accreditation. Euro club and the shows. Not just any tickets but VIP tickets for the final. Pure awesomeness. I celebrated so hard, it is no surprise, I was out sick the following week. June In comparison June was uneventful again. However at the end of the month a third person moved into our apartment: my dear friend Ana moved back from Berlin to Dublin. July In July I finally got around to my next foto shoot. This time with 3models instead of one and the results are just as stunning as the previous ones. July was also the month we decided that I will be moving to Berlin. I cried for several days as I really did not want to leave my beautiful Ireland. August In August I said my final farewell but not before having my wonderful friend Aki over to do a ring of Kerry /Dingle tour. It was so much fun and a great way to end this almost 6year long chapter of my life. In mid-August I moved to Berlin. Into an unfurnished apartment in a city I didn't know. Because of the move I actually missed the Italian wedding I was invited to and regret to have missed. September Very much settling in and getting my apartment furnished. Making a "Poco-Friend". Overall a good time. October October started with the alternative fashion week that I went to and this to me was a great event. I might not have made connections as I had hoped but it was great to see sustainable and recycled fashion by other designers and having the option to purchase some of the designs presented. October finished with my long anticipated trip to the states. My detailed reports allow me to just sum it up in one word: amazing! November Coming back from the states I celebrated my 30th birthday in style and i am proud to say it was a really successful party. The concert of walking on cars was just the perfect finish to a great sabbatical. This was also the month I had decided to leave my current job. Initially I wanted to only reduce my working hours to 30h. But working again, I quickly realized that I needed a real change. December In December the final decision was made to leave PayPal as no other department offered a part time position. Handing in my notice I went to Austria to celebrate my decision to jump into cold water (which really scares me, as I have not planned everything yet). With my two lovely friends Or and Doro I went to almost every Christmas market in Vienna and had a great time. Back home the terrorist attack happened, killing 12 people, while I was having dinner at my poco friends house, watching a movie. I still cannot believe how some politicians can be so insensitive to call it Merkel's dead and asking what the government should have done differently. It is disrespectful towards all the people that died that day. Now for Christmas I was hoping for a great time at home but that was overshadowed by the death of my family's dog. Summarizing this year on a personal level I can say it was overall a really good year. I feel I have grown quite a bit. On a greater scale it really was not a good year. Brexit, Trump, Erdogan, AFD are showing how sad this year really has been. So my wish for 2017 is sense. I hope that people come to their senses and act human again. I hope for peace in Syria. I hope that Trump and Putin will not do anything so stupid it will lead to irreparable damage. I hope that Scotland will be able to become independent once the British exit has started. I hope that people learn that their problems can not be blamed on others but only themselves. But seeing how things go I need to focus on myself. And for myself I hope that i continue to have courage to go my own path. That I will be able to get into the fashion business with my sustainable fashion. That I will make enough to make a living working independently. That I will have the energy and will to be organized and focused on my work while still being able to live a little. 2017 I am ready for you! Back in Berlin and back in the old routine. For most it looks like I've just fallen back into my old patterns and hence have not updated this blog. With only 2weeks until Christmas I thoughts I will change that.
Nothing spectacular happened since I came back now almost a month ago. I've been out sick for almost half of the time. The rest of the time I've continued to furnish my apartment and got some things organized. Now I am finally back on track and that will mean change in 2017. Am I scared of change? Yes I am. But then who isn't? I hate not knowing, having no back up plan for most eventualities. Sometimes, however, you just need to take a leap of face and jump into the (calculated) unknown. Never jump without having some sort of safety measures unless you have suicidal thoughts- even then I would still recommend safety measures in case you change your mind. I will have to go into more detail about this at a later post. Today I am mainly excited about going to Excalibur again. This "rock opera" is in Berlin tonight. I have seen 2 versions of it a few years back and I will see if I still like it without Johnny Logan and Bruce from Runrig. The answer is I don't. I feel sorry for all the great musicians that took part in tonight's show. The production was bad the acting seriously shite and there was no storyline. And for that I had decided not to go to the gym. I am an eegit. But at least I had some fun with a friend. Tomorrow I am going to another Christmas market. This time I am going with the team (well what is left, we have quite some sicknesses going around) and I will see if I like it as much as spandau. I really like spandau. And Thursday I will finally be able to pack for my trip to Vienna on Friday. I am hoping to meet some old friends and do an Eurovision postcard of sorts. I will see if my plan works. I will keep you posted. If I wouldn't know myself better I wouldn't say it but considering my track record: I am wishing you a merry Christmas and for those antichrists: happy winter. I know, that in theory I have to still catch you up on my last days in the states. But I'm gonna do that very short.
Uber left me stranded at the airport, but my host picked me up. I slept, I went shopping (new cons for 15$!!! -I only got one pair though), I tried to get a taxi for an hour, but was still in time for the flight because, in contrast to what I expected, the whole check in security check process took 15min. My flight back was really enjoyable but I actually did not sleep at all.. Why? I had a nice chat with my neighbor and watched about 4 movies-including some Bonds). I had no vegetarian food (I was sure I had ordered some but apparently I didn't) but the lovely crew came up with a solution and I had about 6 side salads (tomato mozzarella) that I actually preferred over the full meal. So nice of them though. When I arrived in Dublin, there was some miscommunication leading to me taking a taxi and surprising my former housemates with a visit at 5.30am. Dublin... Dublin...Dublin. On Monday I basically did nothing but sleep really and chat with my Airbnb host- a lovely single mom. Oh and argue with my brother for not coming to my party. Even now I am still upset about that. For me I learned that he just does not care enough :( Tuesday I went to visit my Dublin team at work and it was wonderful to see so many friendly faces. I enjoyed being at work doing nothing but chatting. Wednesday I had my first movie day since August and went to see 3movies after going shopping for my party and it was good. Trolls- don't go to see that in the cinema. It is not really worth the ticket. It is sweet but cannot measure up to expectations or compete with other recent animation/cartoons. Miss P. Home for peculiar children. It is peculiar but good. Watch it on a discounted day. Doctor strange. Now this one I had heard bad reviews about so I had low expectations but I liked it. And I am curious to see how this will all be incorporated in the franchise of the avengers. From the teaser we already got a glimpse but I am looking forward to the next movies. There were still a lot of movies I missed and many trailers that make me want to go 6times a week to the movies again but I have a feeling I will not do that in DE. Thursday I finally got proper pink again. 4h at the hairdresser and I am happy with the result. I also tried to find a solution for my neon party problem. I had bought lights but the wrong versions. So I had to get lamps to create the neon effect Friday night. But I couldn't find anything. Friday. Ufff. What a day. I think I went to every possible emotion a person can go through. And the things that went wrong... And the things that just worked! Let me write about this in more detail... I ordered a taxi to get to the airport to pick up my mom and sister and friends arriving at the same time. The taxi did not show for 20min so I feared I was going to be late-upsetting my mother. Fortunately the pass control took forever so I was in good time. The pick up went smoothly enough as I could get everyone except for one into their accommodation early. We then went to pick up the cake that had to be picked up by 3pm the latest. And I specially thank a sick Ana for actually getting out of bed to drive us to the cake shop and the venue. The cake. What a monster. It weight about 15kg. But despite a lot of worries the cake had turned out to be stunning. I'll get to that later. Before we could meet up with the group for a late lunch (I should have left them starving so that they would actually eat all the finger food that now got to waste.) we had to pick up keys for late arrivers. That however made us be an hour late. But I was the birthday girl so I don't think anyone can say anything about that ;) Now, throughout the whole time my phones acted up and I had no internet connection. As a result the following happened: At 5 my scots were suppose to arrive. I had given them their hosts phone number to let him know when they arrive. However, miscommunication seems to be a close friend of mine, the host claims he never knew at what time they would arrive. So the scots had been in the rain knocking doors forever before I got to know of the this. When I contacted the host he only blamed us and said we could pick up the keys from a colleague who was a 15min walk away. But aside from that being unacceptable the guy had switched off his phone and my friends already had new info on top... The neighbor had opened the door. He advised them that the land lord does not allow Airbnb and they could not stay there! So fortunately they found a new place to stay. Unfortunately for double the price. In fairness to Airbnb, they were great in handling this. At this stage a huge thank you to my decoration fairies who did a great job to decorate the place while I talked to Airbnb. Even if my neon lights were not strong enough to actually fill the room in black light, it looked great. I think this was the moment were I could begin to enjoy the evening. I actually relaxed when my mom and sis arrived at the party. The party itself I would consider to have been a great success. Firstly, people showed up (possibly because most wanted to see the cake). However, secondly, I actually believe that most enjoyed the party. The dj was a waste of money though. I had booked him from 10 onwards. The playlist I had used before that however, was honestly really good and also the volume was just right to talk to each other and dance at the same time. The dj then kind of ruined that for multiple reasons 1. The volume was too loud. 2. When I asked him to turn it down a nudge, he played slow songs 3. When he finally understood that the volume was to much, he only kept it low for about 10 min. 4. He asked me what music to play and my instruction was really simple. Everything except for hip hop... (I just don't like it) but guess what he played plenty off? 5. He interrupted the music multiple times to say things nobody cared about and used my name. Well a different version of my name every time. Katrina, katrin, Katherine and so on Also he did play the two song request that I had: golden boy and most importantly the last song of the nigh the: hold me now by Johnny Logan. I just loooove Johnny I was so happy that in the end I can actually say that about 60 people were at my party and I did have 2 party crasher (turned out they were friends of my former aupair kid- and I wouldn't have minded them, had they not been all over the place, asking for cigarettes and so on). But thank you all for showing up. I am pretty sure I have talked to almost all of you at least once and got you a free drink... Right? I only heard at the very end of the evening that there was live music as well in the pub downstairs. Folks coming from outside of Ireland surely would have loved to listen to a bit of that too. In the end only a hand full (well maybe 20) of guests were left at the party when we got kicked out. Unfortunately a lot of food had gone to waist. Only on third of the finger food I had ordered was eaten (I had ordered for 50) and soooooo much cake was left. I had basically forced people to bring cake home with them. And still I had to take about 5-7kg back home with me-in my hand luggage. When we got kicked out of the pub, we were told to come and clean the next morning. When we did, everything was already cleaned. What a waste of time. As we were already in town we had breakfast at cornucopia. Delicious. I spend the day mainly with a friend and my mom and sister until we meet up at 5 for fish n chips (the latter for me) to then go to walking on cars. I will not tell you about the back and forth about the tickets that I had but that it was great. Even with seats in the very back and a long time waiting for them to finally come on stage, it was worth it. I love the singers voice. He was the rough,beautiful voice perfect for songs of pain and love. Amazing. After the concert it took forever to get a taxi and when we did...omg... I was furious. We told the driver mountjoy square park south. And he said we did not know south. We checked with him on the map and said one we are at the park we can guide you. So we drove off. After a while I was thinking that he was driving a weird way and when he then went on to drive from Dorset street towards the Mater, I asked what he was doing? As this was not the way to the park and he said yes it it. It went back and forth and then he said there are two squares. You should have known and told me. You are responsible to tell me how I should drive! I really lost it and the others were worried that he would kick us out. All I could think was that he should so we would not have to pay a crooked driver. In the end I told him to stop throw the 15 euro at him. In hindsight I should have asked for a receipt to get the drivers details for a formal complaint. In all my time in Dublin, meeting taxi drivers I have never had such a bad person. I really wish for him to have karma give him back what he dished out. I asked the next driver (that I ordered from a trusted company) about the second mountjoy square park and he said there is only one square and one street further west. I'm telling you most drivers are really good, but this one was a scamming artist. Sunday was all about getting people back home. Though I also had coffee with 7 friends and went to see two movies. Nocturnal animal - what was I thinking!?!? And the accountant and man that one was really good and Benny- boy really made up for his mediocre performance as batman. I arrived at my Airbnb at midnight, still had to pack and got off to the airport at 4am. Great fun. So now I am back in Berlin. And already back in the routine of not updating this regularly... Maybe because not too much happens here. But I am planning on changing that. now, you will see that I have barely any fotos so please, anyone that has taken fotos please share! It is so strange to write my last entry from the USA. It feels like no time was passed at all. And I'm not sure I wanna leave just yet. I left my L.A. Airbnb at around 9.30 ( I was too engaged in a last conversation to leave earlier ;) ) and drove to the LAPD museum. It was not what I had expected from the website, but interesting for sure. Especially the old police cars were fascinating. To bad one was not allowed to sit in them. I would have liked to get arrested in a beautiful car like these.
The way to Elmer's bottle farm actually took me to Route 66. So I now officially drove a convertible mustang roof down on Route 66. Just alone for that it was worth the trip! But more than that the drive was so scenic. I highly enjoyed it. The sandy mountains and the contrast to highway 1 are just amazing. The bottle farm was quite a view and can only recommend it to anyone. Driving all the way from L.A. to Vegas was quite exhausting and I was glad to finally get out of the car. I'm sure I exceeded the speed limit more than once.. Now I am waiting a bit for it to get sunsetish so I can walk down the strip and spend my money. I decided that I will not spend more than 100$ but cheapskate that I am I probably stop at 50. I know- I'm no fun at all. Well watch me... Everything is sooo big. I was in the Bellagio, the Cesar palace (got lost in there and needed to ask for directions to get out!), the venetian and some unidentified once. I even went to the wedding chapel. At the same time I did not even spend a dime in the casinos. It all felt so surreal and I ended up not stopping anywhere long enough to actually sit down and gamble. I also noticed that my plan to get married has a few flaws: I don't drink. Crowded places scare me. And the wedding costs a min. Of 65$ but I would want an Elvis making it cost about at least 200$ Darn. Though I also learnt that i can get through the ceremony without actually getting married.... Hmmmmm. Maybe if I actually find the time and win the money to do it. In Vegas there is a fashion show drive and a Fashion show shopping mall, but unlike the name suggests it is not a fashion show as such but high end stores like neimann Marcus and saxs fifth ave. Have I mentioned that my place is right at the convention center and there is a big Car show on at the moment (SEMA). Beautiful tuned cars and they will have a parade open to the public tomorrow. But I will be at the Grand Canyon all day. Timing kinda sucks. My night was a disaster. I know Vegas is the city that never sleeps and on average a tourist sleeps less than 2h in Vegas, but I need sleep. I only had 6h as it was and on top of that I woke up every 30min checking the time. For some reason I was really scared I would sleep in and miss my trip to the Grand Canyon from the stratosphere hotel. So I probably slept 4-5h. When the bus finally came I had started talking to a nice woman from Vegas who herself had a visitor from Indiana. He asked really terrible questions like: what do they teach you about hitler, are there still military forces from Russia and France and US in Germany or do you have a Muslim problem... I mean really??? The woman was quite sweet though, I think she noticed that these questions were rather inappropriate. She tried to stir the conversation into other directions telling us about hotels and what makes them special, like the Bellagio fountain, the secret garden in the mirage and so on. When we arrived at our breakfast stop the conversation had stopped. The breakfast itself was great. It was at a breakfast diner and I had an omelette with fresh cut vegetables and potato. Yum yum. Was sitting with a lad from France and to lasses from Ecuador. I realized once more that it is not a normal thing to be as good as fluent in a second language for a lot of people. So I am really grateful that I picked up the language easily. Back on the bus on the way to Hoover dam bypass we were asked whether we wanted to buy a skywalk on west rim for 22$ or a helicopter ride for 170$. I must be crazy but I am actually doing the helicopter ride. with my fear of heights that it going to be interesting. In the meantime we stopped at Hoover dam. While we not have the time to actually walk over the dam at least we got a photo opportunity. And then it was already time for the Helicopter ride. First things first: I did not die! Otherwise this blog would be highly creepy out of the sudden. It is giving me all the more reason to celebrate life on November 11th. The view was stunning und I filmed most parts of the ride. Including the bit where we tipped over the edge and I screamed something like: "shit!!! I'm so sorry." But afterwards the ride was really not bad as you don't really have real reference to understand how high you are flying and the canyon is really wide. It is interesting when you pass by the skywalk (which looks tiny) and realize how big the canyon really is. Amazing. Uhhhhh. And then the Highlight of the tour: an American responded to me saying that I am from Germany: but you weren't born in Germany, right? The reason she asked was that my English sounds... Wait for it... Irish! 5years of Dublin have had an impact! Yes!!!! I no longer sound Austrian!!! But anyways, I am glad that all sorts of people pushed we to do the Grand Canyon. Also I am happy I did the west rim tour. Because this is the only rim that is not infact American but belongs to the Hualapai. So technically I had left Arizona and the jurisdiction of the states during my visit. At guano point we were able to walk up to a peak that allowed a full view of the rim again. Quite impressive. And next time any of you is doing a tour to Grand Canyon give the west a chance. The way back to Vegas was without stops watching last Vegas and arrived back in town around 5.30. It took a bit longer till I reached my destination as the roads were blocked due to the SEMA parade. If only I have had time to just watch that. It was spectacular. The cars are awesome. But unfortunately I had to get ready for the show tonight and was already behind schedule due to the traffic. So I only got a glimpse of those marvelous tuned cars. But I think it was worth it. The show was about the old Vegas and it was fantastic apart from the lead singer. He was great when he got into the power tunes but had a very strange breathing, vibrato style the rest of the time. I can hardly describe it, but it ruined a few songs for me. The rest however was brilliant. The dancer as well as the singer very really good. Vegas-the show. I gambled! Finally! I did play on one of those slot machines. And I lost everything. Good. Otherwise I might have liked it. Now at the airport I was surprised with an extra charge on my car rental... I was not happy at all. I had to pay 212.87$ on top of what I already paid in Oakland. When I am home I will have to check my cc statement how much I actually spent. In total I can only say... Las Vegas has been my most expensive stay. I'm a bit early so hopefully I can use this time to upload my last US based blog. I will not report from Newark. I'm not planning on doing anything really. I want to try to get my backpack stored and then use the time tomorrow until my flight at 17.15 to arrive in Dublin terminal 2 on Monday at 4.55am. as I had uploading issues again I'm uploading this from Newark. See you soon |
Kate Krausepennyless fashion designer working towards London Categories
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