10th June 2005
Audioslave rocks! I love the band!
It wuz fantastic just fantastic. Nova Rock Concert at Burgenland.
Me and Christoph drove 6 hours to and back just to catch Audioslave and System of a Down live in concert. My gosh. I just came back - still reekin of mud,´on my jeans, on my jacket, and my shoes are totally ruined. But im like wowed. There were like 50000 pple at the concert grounds - it is a four day event. Nice lineup wif Marilyn Manson playin tmr, over the next few dayz r the prodigy, green day....bein the star shows.
We reached Nickelsdorf at 730pm yesterday. Queued up for 40 mins to get our entrance bands. Saw a fight on our way in. When we walked in - tons of slossy mud - coz it wuz drizzlin too - mud and rain - can be more perfect for a rock concert. We saw tons and tons of tents set up - for pple who bout 4 day passes for the festival. So it wuz cool. Saw many pple high on grass - swaggerin on the mud, some walkin with black garbage bags coverin their feet, goth pple, metal, grunge, pple wif pink and purple dreadlocks - weird, punks and normal pple etc.
Dropped our stuff at Mikha´s tent (Chris´s fren who reviews festivals) and headed into the main stage. The band - Wir Sind Helen played - but it wuz German music - i dont like. Music has been goin on since 1pm by the way. Finally at 9-something, Audioslave came out. We were standin somewat in the middle of the crowd - and i couldnt see shit. Tetesterone-filled atmosphere. Then when Audioslave played - everyone went crazy. Jumpin and pushin. Moshpits, body surfin. But the mosh pits in the middle of the crowd is crazy. When they started i thot i wuz gona die on the festival grounds. Coz itz big boyz jumpin and high on music, and thank god i wuz not too short. I figured if i wanted to live, i had to shovel my way to the first wharfbreaker(i think thatz wat it iz). So I did, but Audioslave wuz heavenly. It wuz cold, but with a bit of jumpin and pushin, and warm sticky bodies, the temperature wuz juz right! Bits of rain fallin amidst dazzlin lights, and great great atmosphere, great fans, great showmanship from the band - i wuz in surreal mode for quite a bit. amazin. kudos to chris cornell (front man). the rest of the band members were from rage against the machine. cornell wuz divine - love his vocals, very very versatile. they realli got the crowd rockin.
Then the crowd waited in anticipation for System of a Down to perform. of course i wuz like - bring it on - although i wuz not a big fan of them. but after gettin to nearly the third row from the first wharfbreaker, i thot i wuz safe. boy, when the music started, the crowd got crazy again. i wuz silently prayin that no one would step on my shoelaces, if not i wld surely be stempeded upon. the music wuz headbangin good, fast at the right times. then this huge wave of moshin came - and fuck, like just less than 10 pple were pushed so hard, we fell, and i wuz one of them - but i wuz ok. but bodies were crammed so close to one another - i never had parts of my anatomy touched in the way it wuz in the concert. i swear man, not an inch of space. but it wuz great, the pushin the jumpin in unison, for the common cause of music. strange, i didnt noe that SoAD wuz popular in Austria, it wuz the number one sellin LP - and fans knew all the lyrics to their songs.
Magical. We went back to the tent, had some beers, no grass, sadly, and went to sleep in Daniel´s tent, which wuz fuckin cold. I got up like 20 times from 330am to 730 am. Hardly got any sleep. I hate the cold. So me and Christoph took off at 8am - and made our way back to graz. so here i am now. Livin to tell the tale.
Monday, June 13, 2005
I Pack, I Cry, I Long
5 June 2005
I pack. Sadly aware that in less than 1 month’s time, I will be away from Graz - a place that i fondly call home. It is a place of too many memories - of good & of bad times. I did so many things that I can hardly believe that it had been 3 and 1/2 months.
I have
- seen the lovely Eastern Europe
- become an accomplished chef
- learnt the meaning of living independently
- put on 4.5 kg
- realized that all kinds of people exist
- discovered the delights of Europe in terms of the social system, scenery and way of life.
I cry now for a mix of reasons: for the fact that I am going to leave Graz and her wondrous pace of life. I cry because I cannot enjoy the splendid aura of Venice – I was not selected for the internship. I cry because I am going to leave the people I have met, behind. I cry for the good and bad times in Graz.
Ich bin traurig. 5.30 a.m.
I now know what it means to enjoy life, and that there is more to life than just work. I fear going back to Singapore – the judgment, the norms, the pressure to work and perform. I shudder as I recollect the life that I used to lead, and do not wish to return to that hectic lifestyle that is full of rigid laws and keine enjoyment. I hate the social norms back home. I long to go back sometimes, but not with the intention to stay in the long run. My mind works – maybe prolonging my stay here is still possible?
I pack. Sadly aware that in less than 1 month’s time, I will be away from Graz - a place that i fondly call home. It is a place of too many memories - of good & of bad times. I did so many things that I can hardly believe that it had been 3 and 1/2 months.
I have
- seen the lovely Eastern Europe
- become an accomplished chef
- learnt the meaning of living independently
- put on 4.5 kg
- realized that all kinds of people exist
- discovered the delights of Europe in terms of the social system, scenery and way of life.
I cry now for a mix of reasons: for the fact that I am going to leave Graz and her wondrous pace of life. I cry because I cannot enjoy the splendid aura of Venice – I was not selected for the internship. I cry because I am going to leave the people I have met, behind. I cry for the good and bad times in Graz.
Ich bin traurig. 5.30 a.m.
I now know what it means to enjoy life, and that there is more to life than just work. I fear going back to Singapore – the judgment, the norms, the pressure to work and perform. I shudder as I recollect the life that I used to lead, and do not wish to return to that hectic lifestyle that is full of rigid laws and keine enjoyment. I hate the social norms back home. I long to go back sometimes, but not with the intention to stay in the long run. My mind works – maybe prolonging my stay here is still possible?
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Wow!
I had Sam and Ruby over this week. And Nat and her sister, Rachu.
It was great seeing these guys after so long - fantastic! strangely it did not feel surreal - instead it felt so real. havin not talked to them for so long - i am really grateful that i had managed to update these people who are important to me about my life. And changes and gossip. I love u guyz so much!
Nobody expressed extreme surprise on my hair - juz that sam wuz a bit amazed, and ruby said i put on weight. nat thinks ive become europeanized - watever it means.
I largely cooked - and yes i have got good feedback! Finally me and Nat hatched a plan to open an Indian Chinese restaurant. we had home made puddin and fruits, home made pasta, sangria and wine. very nice.
well, this week also happens to be springfive week. but it ends today. it is a week dedicated to electronic music. nice - they had dorfmeister over and tosca playin. i went for the openin concert on wed.
It was great seeing these guys after so long - fantastic! strangely it did not feel surreal - instead it felt so real. havin not talked to them for so long - i am really grateful that i had managed to update these people who are important to me about my life. And changes and gossip. I love u guyz so much!
Nobody expressed extreme surprise on my hair - juz that sam wuz a bit amazed, and ruby said i put on weight. nat thinks ive become europeanized - watever it means.
I largely cooked - and yes i have got good feedback! Finally me and Nat hatched a plan to open an Indian Chinese restaurant. we had home made puddin and fruits, home made pasta, sangria and wine. very nice.
well, this week also happens to be springfive week. but it ends today. it is a week dedicated to electronic music. nice - they had dorfmeister over and tosca playin. i went for the openin concert on wed.
Friday, May 20, 2005
The Party was so bad
The campus party in FH today - like just now wuz so bad i had to sneak to the computer room just upstairs for a breather
but its realli cool how there is a party held in the skol auditheatre wif music and booze and excited and happy europeans prancin ard to wat i think it pop trash and retro junk. anyway, my laptop died on me - i am totalli devasted. the screen cannot function coz itz all black but the hardware is still runnin. i am like damn!
haha, but oh well. will see yah
but its realli cool how there is a party held in the skol auditheatre wif music and booze and excited and happy europeans prancin ard to wat i think it pop trash and retro junk. anyway, my laptop died on me - i am totalli devasted. the screen cannot function coz itz all black but the hardware is still runnin. i am like damn!
haha, but oh well. will see yah
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Me. Attention?
Sunday 15th May 2005
I am cleanly scrubbed,
silently proud of my crowning glory:
It has been two weeks.
My longest ever,
Untouched by the stuff
Which untangles the locks.
I now realize how easy it is.
The itch has become part and parcel
And it’s now very tolerable.
I had been a recluse.
Shunning friends and also
The washing machine.
Had to resort to G-strings,
Coz I have no normal ones left.
Recluse partly by choice,
Using the thesis and EBE Assignment
as an excuse.
I had two encounters.
One with drunk Wolfgang,
Another with the strange French guy.
Both dropped serious hints –
It was so strange.
I was scared,
But now wary and wiser.
Of course they were spurned.
Perhaps it is the language barrier,
I am feeling more competent
With the Deutsche in Graz’s almost-daily classes.
Fret not, I am not extremely joyous
Nor am I in the doldrums
Although recently I have taken
To staring at photographs
From back home for hours.
“The communicator cannot stop at knowing that the people he is working with have different customs, goals, and thought patterns of his own. He must be able to feel his way into intimate contact with these alien values, attitudes, and feelings. He must be able to work with them and within them, neither losing his own values in the confrontation nor protecting himself behind a wall of intellectual detachment. ”
For starters, you can find opportunities to become familiar with many types of people so that the differences become normal and interesting instead of threatening. And you can practice body awareness so that changes that signify a stress reaction can be identified and counteracted.
It is a transition stage for me,
Where I am straddling the end of
Cultural confrontation with adjustment.
Curious I will be when Sam and Rub arrive,
Of what feelings my mind and heart will evoke.
**************************************
Not By Choice
I told myself and Mama
No to more traveling
I had my share of fun abroad
Plus thought I – why not Austria?
It presents many opportunities for
My idea of fun. At a lower cost too.
I am resolved to enjoy
The coffee houses,
The Fine cuisine,
And surely shopping, too,
For myself and others!
**************************************
I am cleanly scrubbed,
silently proud of my crowning glory:
It has been two weeks.
My longest ever,
Untouched by the stuff
Which untangles the locks.
I now realize how easy it is.
The itch has become part and parcel
And it’s now very tolerable.
I had been a recluse.
Shunning friends and also
The washing machine.
Had to resort to G-strings,
Coz I have no normal ones left.
Recluse partly by choice,
Using the thesis and EBE Assignment
as an excuse.
I had two encounters.
One with drunk Wolfgang,
Another with the strange French guy.
Both dropped serious hints –
It was so strange.
I was scared,
But now wary and wiser.
Of course they were spurned.
Perhaps it is the language barrier,
I am feeling more competent
With the Deutsche in Graz’s almost-daily classes.
Fret not, I am not extremely joyous
Nor am I in the doldrums
Although recently I have taken
To staring at photographs
From back home for hours.
“The communicator cannot stop at knowing that the people he is working with have different customs, goals, and thought patterns of his own. He must be able to feel his way into intimate contact with these alien values, attitudes, and feelings. He must be able to work with them and within them, neither losing his own values in the confrontation nor protecting himself behind a wall of intellectual detachment. ”
For starters, you can find opportunities to become familiar with many types of people so that the differences become normal and interesting instead of threatening. And you can practice body awareness so that changes that signify a stress reaction can be identified and counteracted.
It is a transition stage for me,
Where I am straddling the end of
Cultural confrontation with adjustment.
Curious I will be when Sam and Rub arrive,
Of what feelings my mind and heart will evoke.
**************************************
Not By Choice
I told myself and Mama
No to more traveling
I had my share of fun abroad
Plus thought I – why not Austria?
It presents many opportunities for
My idea of fun. At a lower cost too.
I am resolved to enjoy
The coffee houses,
The Fine cuisine,
And surely shopping, too,
For myself and others!
**************************************
Monday, May 09, 2005
Ich bin muede
I am so tired. My legs feel soft.
Coz of the partying on Sat - till like 430 am. and i went home, ate some food, stared into space, and went to bed at 6am. Only to have to wake up at 8am to meet Chinese friends to climb Schokel Mountain. Yeah, friends from China, our first outing. They were great.
So today is Monday, had German class, and after this I ve gota attend real German classes, which I am gona pay alota money for.
And over the weekend, I wuz researchin on jobs to do in the summer, like maybe july. coz i applied for an internship position in the Venice 51st Biennale - some contemporary art festival. But, i think a lota other very eligible pple applied for it too. So meanwhile I looked elsewhere. I wuz researching on the prospects of picking apples, peaches or strawberries in denmark, austria, workin on a husky farm in sweden, in a holiday resort in austria or spain, in an organic farm high up in the mountains of bulgaria..... i so badly want an alternative lifestyle. coz i so badly dont wana start a corporate life.
okies, back to editin Rene's thesis, and gota start on my assignments on european biz envir which is due on Wed! Argh!
Coz of the partying on Sat - till like 430 am. and i went home, ate some food, stared into space, and went to bed at 6am. Only to have to wake up at 8am to meet Chinese friends to climb Schokel Mountain. Yeah, friends from China, our first outing. They were great.
So today is Monday, had German class, and after this I ve gota attend real German classes, which I am gona pay alota money for.
And over the weekend, I wuz researchin on jobs to do in the summer, like maybe july. coz i applied for an internship position in the Venice 51st Biennale - some contemporary art festival. But, i think a lota other very eligible pple applied for it too. So meanwhile I looked elsewhere. I wuz researching on the prospects of picking apples, peaches or strawberries in denmark, austria, workin on a husky farm in sweden, in a holiday resort in austria or spain, in an organic farm high up in the mountains of bulgaria..... i so badly want an alternative lifestyle. coz i so badly dont wana start a corporate life.
okies, back to editin Rene's thesis, and gota start on my assignments on european biz envir which is due on Wed! Argh!
Friday, May 06, 2005
Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World
Artist: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops is where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch then bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white and the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself, what a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying, How do you do?
They're really saying, I, I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than we'll know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops is where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops is where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch then bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white and the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself, what a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying, How do you do?
They're really saying, I, I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than we'll know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops is where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?