Culture Days

As part of our Culture Project, all students from SUK2 arranged the annual Culture Days which lasted two days, the 19th and 20th of June. Everybody had to present his own Culture Topic and could listen to at least ten other presentations, three of them from the "foreign" culture. I went to about 15 presentations and there were plenty I really liked a lot. I will now tell you something about ten of them:

On the first day I went to see all of the Irish presentations that took place in the afternoon, because I was one of the last one's to conduct their presentations. I can't remember in which order they performed, so I will start with the ones I liked.

“Abortion Law in Ireland – A Pro-Choice View” was one of the most compelling topics. It was really interesting to learn, that Ireland has one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe and the experiences of the three women which suffered great consequences because they were not allowed to get an abortion, were just shocking. “How the World sees Bobby Sands” was a topic that was new to me because I had never heard of Bobby Sands and his hunger strike before but now I am definitely going to watch the recent movie about his life, which is called “Hunger”.

Those interesting presentations were followed by a few really boring ones, not because they were not well made but because of the fact that the topics just did not arouse my interest like “The Gaelic Athletic Association outside Ireland”, although it was funny to hear that Fiona played in a Gaelic football match. “The Dublin Horse Show” neither evoked my interest simply because I don’t like horses. However Birgit made an excellent powerpoint presentation. Blandine told us something about the Cliffs of Moher – a topic that I liked because I definitely want to go there one day, but she seemed a bit bored by her own topic, so it wasn’t the ideal presentation. Quite at the end Natalie invited us into a lovely story – the story of Willie Daly, a matchmaker who is introducing lonely and old farmers to one another so that they don’t have to be alone anymore. He does it for free and so for me this man is a hero.

After my presentation Jenny was next, sadly I had to catch my train, so I could not listen to her but she presented it to me a few times before, so I know that it was a really good presentation, perfectly summarized, maybe a little bit too long but in general very interesting.

The next day I went to see three more presentations and one of them was my favourite one from all. The presentation I definitely liked most was from the USA group. The guy who conducted the presentation, I think his name was Max, was very funny and you could really see that he enjoys telling people about this topic. It was about the history of Mickey Mouse and the Disney World in the USA. He started his presentation with a short video and ended it with one, that was what I like most, but I also appreciated that he spoke 100% free and that he interacted with the audience. 

The next day I went to two more USA-presentations, the first one was, to be honest, really boring, although it was actually a topic that I am interested in. It was called "Comic books and Superheroes", which sounded very interesting but sadly I could hardly understand a thing because she was speaking in such a low voice and inarticulate. I decided to stay for the next presentation, which was called "Two Heroines of American Aviation: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman". The girl who presented this topic created the most amazing Prezi I had ever seen before, which perfectly supported her speech and the content. It was really fun to look at it and to listen to her. 

My personal statement to the Culture Days is that it is a nice event but it should definitely not take place during the end of the exam, where I should definitely spend my time studying and not sitting in a hot and sweaty room. And I am definitely not the only one who really was stressed because of two exams on the next day.

What to do when all of your friends are at Nova Rock!?

You know what? This weekend was one of the most boring ones in my whole life!
Although I had to learn a lot (which I did not really do but anyways) I had no idea how to spend my freetime! I came home from Graz on Friday, 6 p.m. and for the first time in years I did not go out but passed my time with my mother sitting in front of the TV. Eventually I was about to go crazy so my mother suggested me to bake a cake or cupcakes. I was so grateful for this idea that I hugged her hard. Fortunately it was not yet too late to go and buy the ingredients I still needed. At 8 p.m. I finally started baking my special Fanta-cake - a stirred cake with Fanta in it and a topping of mascarpone, canned peaches and a lot of vanilla sugar. It took me about 1 and a half hour to finish my cake and tasted delicious.
So I went to bad at 12 p.m. but still, those 6 hours appeared to me like infinity. The next day, yesterday, passed quite fast, as Saturdays always do, but I was not really in the best mood because I always had to think about sitting in a camping chair and drinking beer with all of my friends at Nova Rock. I studied a bit but i could not really concentrate and finally I gave up and decided to visit my aunt and uncle, just to bridge some time. Then the clock stroke 7 p.m. (usually that's the time when I go out at nights) and I was busily trying to figure out if there was anybody - and I really mean ANYBODY, I know who is not at Nova Rock. Blessedly a friend of mine came to my mind so I immediately called her. She has not been in the mood to go to a bar but after a few minutes of begging I had her at the point where she said yes just to make me stop.
So we met at 8 p.m. in our local cocktail-bar and, yes we had a good time but after only one hour she said that she would be tired and like to go now. I was shocked but I hided it and just agreed. Now it was 9 p.m. and I was at home again. I read a few pages of a book, watched one episode of The Big Bang Theory but I was not really happy with the course of my evening, so I went to bed, angry and for the first time in years I slept about 12 hours and for the first time in my whole life I wished the weekend to end as soon as possible; but there was still the Sunday to survive. The morning passed quite fast, as I slept until about 11, then we had lunch and afterwards I decided to have a little afternoon nap. Since I woke up I am sitting in my boyfriend's apartment (of course he is also at Nova Rock) and stuying. Yep, that was definitely one of the most tiring and boring weekends in my life (except for that one, when I went on vacation with my dad, but that's another story).

Music and lyrics that produce irreversible goosebumps!

Your life is ending one minute at a time
Check the clock and stand in line.
Hibernate 'til your life's passed you by.
Please stop living like you're waiting to die.

Keep up, keep up,
Don't get left behind
Don't slip up, slip up
Chase that finish line
They don't want you believing
That your life deserves a meaning.

Weary souls trying to forget.
That we're all puppets with a lifetime debt.

What a feeling built to break,
Happiness with an expire date.
Please stop living like you're waiting to die.

Please stop living like you're waiting to die.

Stitched into our lives
Drained until we expire.

Weary souls trying to forget
That we're all puppets with a lifetime debt.
We're all weary souls trying to forget.

Keep two eyes on that intangible finish line.
In this race we're all reduced to vermin.
Keep two eyes on that intangible finish line.
In this race we're all reduced, we're all reduced to vermin.

Stitched into our lives.
Drained until we expire.
Your life is ending one minute at a time.

Weary souls trying to forget
That we're puppets with a lifetime debt.

           

The sick get sicker while the rich get richer.
Capital greed paired with vestigial superstition.
The sick get sicker while the rich get richer.
Angels and demons, money and munitions.
Your left wing clipped,
buy a gun for jesus.
Opportunities for all those willing to pay.
Out of sight, out of mind,
too afraid of the horror that you might find.
Out of sight, out of mind.
How much does your faith cost?
Celestial shepherd watches over his flock.
What about those black sheep that he forgot?
Unanswered faith is everything that they’ve got.
I’d like to think you’re everything that I’m not.
Something here doesn’t add up.
Your charity starts and ends at home.
Your conscience called but you hung up the phone.

Architects are a British metalcore band from Brighton, England. At the moment they are my most favorite band - I did not really like them before they released their latest album "Daybreaker", at that time it was not the music I liked and for me, lyrics are an important component, and their lyrics never really made me keel over, but now I am just stunned, how critical and honest their new album is. The lyrics can really open one's eyes but sadly, I guess that I am one of the few who really care about the background of a song. 

The Fall of Idols

There is this one special band "As I Lay Dying". For now about six years their music is accompanying me in every condition of life, whether I was sad, happy, depressed, frustrated, tired or euphoric. Their songs and lyrics gave me hope, made me cry, made me think about my life or pushed me on, and they still do. Although As I Lay Dying is a Christian Metalcore band, you don’t seem to notice very much of this attitude in their lyrics, which I think is pretty good because most of those christian bands are often put into one pot and mostly their lyrics are… let’s say weird and hard to understand to “nonbelievers”.

They lyrics are about life, love, hate, struggles, fights, wars, tears and much more and on each one of their eight albums there is at least one song I can identify with.

The main character of this band has always been Tim Lambesis, lead vocalist, guitarist and singer-songwriter. Not only did the various shades of his voice impress me but also the physical change he went through in the last few years. At the beginning of As I Lay Dying he was a thin, black haired, inconsiderable boy and it seemed like from one second to the other he became a man!

 For me he was a very attractive one. – I say "was" because here is the point of this whole story: A few weeks ago he was accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife. I was totally shocked when I heard about this, it was almost like a small world of mine would crash into pieces. Immediately I tried to find out every single point about this accusation on the internet, but at first it appeared to be just a rumour. But day after day more information was made publicly and there was no longer a doubt that this would be just a rumour.

Tim Lambesis and his wife Meegan were going through a divorce, and his wife made a point that Tim would not be able to take good care of the three children because he would spend half of his life on tour and the other one in gym. Apparently Tim was afraid of losing his children so he asked around if anyone knows a hitman. Unfortunately the police got informed about his search and infiltrated an undercover cop into his surroundings. So obviously Tim’s plan went amiss. His trial has already started a few days ago, and it does not look good for him! He will have to spend the next 5-9 years in jail and sadly there will be no new albums of As I Lay Dying during this long period of time. 

Why you should love the Irish!

Not only because 10% of the Irish population have red hair and to be honest - red headed people are the most beautiful in the world (maybe this does not apply to male people, so lets say red headed girls are the most beautiful people in the world) but mainly because they are a quite funny nation, perfectly shown by taking the example of some pretty senseless laws you can find on the Internet. No matter if they are true or just invented, they are very funny: 

General Public Laws:

Law: It is illegal to be drunk in a pub.

Probably no Irish person has ever heard of it or they are just evidently ignoring it, as it is not even executed.

Law: It is illegal to smoke tobacco on Grafton Street.

Obviously it is the same as with the first law – nobody knows about it or it is just being ignored and not executed. There are even two tobacco shops in this street.

Law: If a Leprechaun calls at your door you must, by law, give him a share of your dinner. Yep, nothing to say against that law! But of course only, if the Leprechaun promises you luck for the rest of your life.

Law: Holders of the freedom of Dublin have the right to pasture sheep on common ground within the city boundaries.

Oh, yes of course, why not?!

Law: Crossing a railway track on a bicycle is illegal whereas you can drive across it legally.

This one is one of the most pointless laws because there is no difference in safety.

Law: It is illegal to perform any form of witchcraft in the city.

Of course it is illegal, as there are so many red headed women and we all know that these women are witches. J

Student Laws:

Law: In Trinity College, students can demand a glass of wine during the exam.

Great law! Austria should think about bringing it into use as well.

Law: It is illegal for a student to walk through Trinity College without a sword.

Very ridiculously but sadly no one observes this law.

Law: You can shoot someone and kill them from the top of the bell tower in Trinity on a particular day of the year and not be charged with murder.

The catch is that nobody knows this very date. J

Past Laws:

Law: The penalty for suicide was death by hanging. 

Yeah, that does make a lot of sense. This law was indeed carried out – people who killed themselves were hanged directly after they have committed this “crime”.

Those laws are of course way more harmless than most of the ridiculous laws in the USA but some of them are also very funny and pointless. 

Why become a translator?

There is this ubiquitous question! Parents ask it, friends ask it, parent's friends ask it... "It's my dream job!" - that's nowhere near a creative answer. You have to inform yourself about every aspect of this job to give a detailed and honest answer to this very question.

I have made up my mind a few times and came to the conclusion that being or becoming a translator does not mean working solely for money. It is about contributing something to society that is not only paying taxes. The work of translators is the most important aspect of communication between different speaking countries and may even help to unite states. Interpreting and translating between nations is the foundation of working relationships, trade and international economy.

Maybe that is all a bit exaggerated but lets see what may happen if there are no longer translators and interpreters which make sure that translation is not only translating something but also ensure that it is politically correct and cultural adapted.

Otherwise translated countries could be misunderstood or something translated from e.g. English to Arabic does not contain culturally accepted transmission.

Moreover, for me, becoming a translator is earning money for what is my hobby respectively for what I love to do.

When explaining your “dream job” like this your mother’s best friend’s mouth will pop open and won’t close not so fast. 

Why are they moving in such a strange way?

“MATTHEW BARNEY (artist): There was something that attracted me to the pit, this kind of a controlled violent system where there are codes, and where people, in spite of the fact that their taking off each others heads, they’re also looking out for one another, which is true of the football field as well. You were punished a little for being there, which was very exciting.”

Hardcore artist Matthew Barney is trying to explain the attraction that comes from hardcore-concerts. It is the violent dancing.

Violent dancing has its origins in the 80’s.

At the beginning it was called slumdancing and was something like a modification of Pogo, the much softer and less dangerous punk-dance.

In those times it consisted of hustling each other, strutting around in a circle, swinging the arms and hitting everyone within reach. Another important part was the stagediving - first getting as close as possible to the band and then jump into the others. But the audience was often split in two parts, those who wanted to have fun and the "hooligans", those who were looking for trouble and just wanted to hit somebody. That's why there were so many injuries like broken bones and cracked skulls.

Nowadays nothing really has changed. There are still those who want to have fun and want to show their newest dance moves and those who attend a concert to “smash someone’s face” and in most of the cases they don't even stop for nobody not even for girls.                                                                                                        

Only the name has changed - it is no longer called slumdancing but moshing.                                              

In the 2000s some different kinds or parts of moshing developed, which all take place in the so-called moshpit, this is the space in front of the stage, the kids constitute something like a circle were they can make their moves.

These moves are for instance the “Wall of Death”, where two groups of people stand in a row adverse each other and when the band gives the sign they run and crash against each other.

Another one is the “Circlepit”, where those standing in the moshpit run around in a big circle.

That's about the history behind this weird kind of dancing. 

The curse of not having model measurements

As winter lasts now since about 5 months my winter fat amount has grown to an unbearable extent. Although I am visiting a fitness-studio three times a week my belly is growing and growing; probably because I eat even more after training and I am not always very consistent. My biggest problem is that I love nothing more than food, I could eat the whole day and my favourite food is not always low in calories. It’s not that I don’t fit into my clothes (although some of my jeans are recently a bit too tight), I just do not feel comfortable in my body, I can’t stand the spare tyre and the padding between my thighs. Sadly these are the parts, which are hardest to train.

I don’t want to have a perfect body or look like one of those underwear models with abs and huge boobs. It would be enough if there is only one midriff bulge instead of three.

Next month my dad is going to buy me a bike, since my last one was stolen from our cellar.  My plan is to continue my training on the bicycle and to cycle 3-4 times per week. Of course I will also have to change my eating habits and start eating less, and more healthy food but this I guess will be the hardest part for me.

My goal is to look considerable in my bikini but unfortunately there are only two months left until the summer season starts.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! J

Food blogs

There are so many food blogs on the internet and hardly any time to watch through all of them which is quite a pity if you are very much into food like me. I looked at about five or six of the most viewed food blogs and I came to the conclusion that those with bright and professional pictures are the ones I like most and often their recipes are best to handle although they are sometimes not very well structured.

I chose two of them to be my favorites and to write about:

http://lovesfoodlovestoeat.blogspot.co.at/

http://iamafoodblog.com/

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/

The first two are very similar to each other. Both have beautifully arranged and deliciously looking pictures and I guess that there is at least one recipe for everybody who actually likes to eat. There are not so many recipes on the “loves food loves to eat” blog, so mostly I have a look at the “I am a food blog” blog when I am searching for some inspiration. Besides there are always little stories and tips connected to the recipes and instructions.

A few weeks ago I tried the recipe for “Parsley Pesto Pasta with Broccoli and Salmon”. So I first went to the supermarket where I bought those not too expensive and few ingredients like parsley, pine nuts, broccoli and salmon, and then I started to cook it – it took me about 20 minutes and then the pasta with fish was ready. I had no problems, needed no help and there was almost no washing up. My mother and I ate like there was no tomorrow because it tasted incredibly divine. I already tried three or four recipes from this very site and all of them tasted good, weren’t too expensive and could be cooked easily. 

Only yesterday I found this blog about deserts and sweets in general “sprinkle bakes” and immediately I liked it a lot because of the lovely colors and awesome looking pictures. I did not yet have the time to look through all baking instructions but I already found one that I am definitely going to try out. 

I can’t stop looking at it and every time I do so my mouth starts watering. I guess it will be difficult and take a long time to make this but if it tastes as it looks it will be worth every second.

Thanks to the instruction to write a blog about food blogs, I found all these recipes and mouth watering pictures and many new ideas for my favorite hobby cooking. 

An attitude towards life called “core”

About four years ago I bought my first Metal-CD – that was the moment I decided metal to be my favorite musical genre. I wandered back and forth between the different subgenres that Metal features until I came to the so called “core-scene”.

It did not take a long time until I was fascinated by the coherence, the fun in life and the style, which are main parts of that lifestyle.

I started going to concerts, where I met more and more people who shared that attitude and I found more and more friends in that scene.

Two years later my three best friends and my boyfriend founded a metalcore- band and so I got increasingly more to do with it.

I started writing lyrics for their songs and since about one year I have had the privilege to join every concert they play and sell their shirts. That gave me the chance to get to know some very famous bands and even talk to them. Although first I was only impressed by the music I started to become part of that scene.

 

“Core” is the colloquial and short form for hardcore, which is basically a musical genre but moreover it is a lifestyle. Young people tend to live that attitude towards life.

The musical genre is based on the heavy beats of metal mixed with aggressive vocals and the rapidness of punk.

“Core” is separated in different subgenres: deathcore, metalcore, hardcore and beatdown, which is seen as a subgenre although it has no “-core” in its name.

The origins of all forms of “core” are punk and hardcore.

A very important part of this scene are the concerts where you can meet old and new friends, you can get the real feeling and have fun.

The followers, fans and frequent concert visitors invented their own dance style called “mosh”, which is another interesting part of that culture.

This lifestyle is very unconventional – a lot of tattoos and piercings are used to be different and to shine out from all others and to express one’s own attitude.

Of course nobody is getting tattooed just for these few reasons, in most of the cases every tattoo has its own story.

Why I love Alpacas and Donkeys

I think this picture perfectly describes why I love alpacas. They are one of the cutest animals that exist on planet earth and they are one of the most trustful animals. I fell in love with these lovely creatures when I first saw one at the zoo in Preding. It was something like a pets corner and you could pet it an cuddle it… and I can tell they are so incredibly fluffy that you don’t even think it is possible! What I like most about alpacas is that they always look like they would be smiling.

Alpacas are very useful animals – not only for their fur that can be used like sheepskin but also because they are used as therapy animals for mentally and physically disabled and traumatized people, especially kids.There is a huge alpaca farm in Carinthia where my dad is taking me to for my birthday – I am sooo much looking forward to it. :)

The reasons why I love donkeys are probably the same like why I love alpacas. They are always relaxed and their ears are big and extremely fuzzy.
I don’t know exactly why I feel so “attracted” to those perissodactyls especially because I don’t really like horses since one pitched me off when I was about 10 years old but I think it’s the simplicity and calm they radiate.

Meeting welsh people

Just like about any other weekend we were going to a concert – this time in a small pub my hometown. Already when we arrived we recognized that this wouldn’t be exactly brilliant. The bands probably were quite good but the sound was so bad that you hardly heard anything. One of the bands, Continents, was from Wales and they were touring with no money so some of my friends offered them to sleep in their flats. But that wasn’t yet the end of the day – we went out into a cocktail-bar. They were able to afford each a few beer but after those they were as drunk as lords because they were not used to the high alcohol concentration in Austrian beer. It got funnier and funnier – one of the boys, Ben even proposed marriage to a friend of mine – of course only for fun and funnily they still have contact every day. and later on into our local disco.
Obviously those welsh people had never seen a disco before because they danced and laughed like there would be no tomorrow. We had so much fun and fortunately they will come back to Austria in a few months. :)

The best dish on planet earth

When I ate it for the first time it was like my taste buds eventually unfolded. It was like heaven in my mouth and I wanted it to never stop. I ate and ate until my stomach nearly popped out of my mouth. At this very moment I had the pleasure to dine aunt Anneliese’s Risotto with mushrooms.

Before, I have heard of it a few times in television cookery shows and it always seemed a little bit gross to me because the chefs told it had to be oozy and that word deterred me not only a little bit although the Risottos constantly  looked appetizing.

However, my aunt had cooked so much that she gave me two big boxes of this culinary delight to take home. I was able to nourish myself 3 days. After I had eaten up everything I was very sad and already one day after I missed the Risotto a lot so I tried to cook it myself – very bad idea!

I made rice for a whole starving ship’s crew and I put too much onions and wine into it.  The only one who tried hard to eat all up was my dad but to be honest he eats everything that is eatable.

So now I am dependent on my aunt to cook me some Risotto or my other choice is to go to a restaurant in my hometown and pay 14€ and I have to say it is worth it!!!

So if you are hungry now here is the recipe for a Risotto with mushrooms, maybe you can do better than me.

                                

Ingredients

·                                 1.5 litres organic chicken stock, hot

·                                 1 handful dried porcini mushrooms

·                                 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

·                                 400 g risotto rice

·                                 75 ml vermouth or white wine

·                                 sea salt

·                                 freshly ground black pepper

·                                 4 large handfuls wild mushrooms (try shiitake, girolle, chestnut or oyster)

cleaned and sliced

·                                 1 teaspoon butter

·                                 1 small handful Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra fro serving

·                                 extra virgin olive oil

Heat your stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer. Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of minutes until they've softened. Fish them out of the stock and chop them, reserving the soaking liquid.

In a large pan, heat a lug of olive oil and add the onion. Slowly fry without colouring them for at least 10 minutes, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir. Stir in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice. Now pour the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve into the pan and add the chopped porcini, a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.

Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get a dry griddle pan hot and grill the wild mushrooms until soft. If your pan isn't big enough, do this in batches. Put them into a bowl add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice.

Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning carefully. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan. You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 minutes.

Take your risotto and add a little more seasoning or Parmesan if you like. Serve a good dollop of risotto topped with some grilled dressed mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page…

This quote by Saint Augustine perfectly describes my attitude towards travelling around the world. By staying in your own four walls you won’t ever be able to broaden your horizon and you will probably think you have missed something while taking your last breath. I am afraid that I might end up like this too but I will definitely do anything to see most parts of the world – in case this is possible.

By now I have never had the opinion to leave the European continent but I have been to different parts of Spain like Ibiza, Majorca, Tenerife and Grand Canary and to parts of Greece like Karpathos actually every year from 2006 to 2011. But that is far from being enough for me! I want to go to the USA, to Australia, to Russia, to China and so on and so on… the list is nearly endless.
Of course there are some conditions to pull these travels off:
At first I don’t want to travel alone so I have to find someone to accompany me. Secondly I will need loads of money and since I haven’t yet won the lottery I’m going to have to work hard to pay these trips. I still have to figure out how to manage these terms.

Travelling Around the World

I've not been to many different countries yet but I would definitely love to see all of the world or at least more than I've seen up to the present.
At first I would definitely want to visit the USA, it's because I've heard so much awesome things about it and now I want to find out if they are true.
Then I would go to Peru because since I was very little I wanted to go there to see the Machu Picchu and the breathtaking landscapes of Peru.
Of course I would love to go to England, just to hear the nice accent they are speaking.
In the summer holidays, my dad and I always flew to Greece and I would always return there because the people are the most friendliest ones I've ever met and the food is just amazing.
Then of course I would visit Russia to see the beautiful Kreml, the Red Place and many other monuments.
Summarized I would love to travel all around the world to meet new people, get to know new cultures and learn new languages.