Oy vey! Kai is back, and *darn*, Freiburg is still cold... Heh heh heh... Well, I should, over the next few days, be updating these pages again -- that's right, you people who have been subtly complaining about my inactiveness (you know who you are :P), and without a doubt leaving some disguised-ly pointed notions in your emails.
Yup, I have been away for a short vacation since early August; it was supposed to be a relaxing one, but as usual, the vac ended up being more of a social reunion! Not complaining... just happy to meet up with old acquaintances again :) More of that report to come in the coming entries.
For now though, I'd just like to share some really nice experiences of Singapore Airlines' (SIA) new cabin products. Without sounding like an advertisement sound-bite; the new seats on the 777-300ER planes are simply so very wide and sinfully comfortable -- didn't realise the journey from Zürich to Singapore took 12 hours! Also, the on-board airline food never tasted better, which was complimented by the fantastic services of their attention-seeking cabin crew, from the moment I left the comforts of the Silver Kris Lounge.
OK. Will report again soon. Although it seems that Tobi has already finished an entry on his blog on our meeting in Kuala Lumpur -- check it out!
After seven years of knowing and loving each other, Karen and Alexander finally decided to get married. And what a wonderful and beautiful ceremony it was -- so delightful, so refreshing! It all began on Saturday morning, July 28th, when Christoph, Ann-Kathrin, and I set off for Pforzheim. We were priviledged to have been invited to the Chinese solemnization ceremony, a private affair where the bride and the groom served traditional tea to the parents, who in turn showered them with gifts... heh heh heh... no pun intended there Karen :P
We then headed off to church after the lunch reception to witness the couple exchange their vows. The priest, in his short sermon, mentioned something about cars, children, and the garage, which I thought was directed to Alex for his love of fancy cars -- but when asked later, Alex swore that the priest was simply talking about cars, children, and garages in general... hahaha... hmmm... Anyway, silly me, I had not brought out my camera for both these events! So many photo ops, and I missed them *still kicking myself* *now have to wait for Chris to develop the official photos* To make up for this irretrievable loss, I hunted down my camera back at the hotel, and joined in the furroes of picture snappings with the other guests shortly before dinner was served. *Decided to take off my tie and the suit jacket to make myself comfortable, it was rather tiring taking pictures*
Then came the dinner itself. Plenty of stuffs to eat on the main courses. Apparently, I had had a special menu prepared for me (a little bit different from the other guests, since I can't take pork and alcohol), which made everyone seated around me a little bit jealous; especially the maid-of-honour who sat on my left :P Still, we all got along well, and thoroughly enjoyed our feast!
Then, after we thought that we can no longer stomach any more food, we were asked to step outside the hotel for a Balloon-Wishing Ceremony. We gladly left our seats for a while just so that we get an opportunity to digest what we had sumptuosly ate. I have to thank whoever coordinated this -- it surely was at the bestest of time ;)
I also managed to capture part of this on video. Check this out:
After lingering at the foyer for some time watching the balloons fly away (I think mine crossed the river and made its way to Paris!), we decided it was time to resume eating. But first, we had to take a couple of candid shots with Louisa (Karen's mom) and that huge bear who sits by himself at the lobby:
After dessert, it was all about socializing. The cake was cut, we all get to dance with the bride (and Alex got to dance with the girls), the mother of the bride, and whomever one fancies to dance with following the tune of the music. Well now, really, after Karen changed into her chiffon evening gown with matching pearls, who can resist asking her for a second dance, right?
And I have to mention this, when Karen threw her bouquet for the single-women to catch, there was a weird wave of them trying smack the flowers away (rather than rushing forwards, tumbling over each other to catch it)... hahaha! But Alex's cousin's girlfriend caught it :) And because of that weird wave, I didn't manage to get the full flower-flip on video, just part of it:
All in all, I had had a wonderful time. I felt well-taken care of. Everyone from the bride and groom, their parents, relatives, friends and colleagues, all the way to the staffs of the hotel... they were all so friendly and sociable. Got me carried away here... look at how much I blogged!
Also I made some wonderful new friends (they flew in specially from Vancouver and London to be with Karen on her big day): Maggie, Melissa, Victoria, Elliot, Joyce, and Calvin. Guys, I kept my end of the promise with this blog and its contents. I'll check out your suggestions on Facebook next. Then we'll wait for Karen to coordinate the email list *hint*hint* Heh heh heh... To top it off, it was a fine reunion with Leandro and Christine. You guys were awesome! Leo, I'd promise a tribute entry for us on my blog, wait for it within the next few days, ok?
Arrgghhh.... ich habe die Nase voll! Unserer Aufzug ist noch einmal außer betrieb -- seit Donnerstag letzte Woche! Ich hatte mein Fahrrad über das Wochenende an die Treppen erhöhen musste, und heute Morgen können wir den Aufzug fahren auch nicht.
*sigh* Dieser Aufzug ist tatsächlich selbstbeherrscht... habe ich es nicht gleich gesagt? Wenn der sich gekränkt fühlt, funktioniert er nicht mehr. Oder vielleicht er fühlt sich ungerecht behandelt (man kann ja nie wissen)? Wenn ja, dann er einfältige Pinsel ist...
Yes! Finally! After being made to wait ALL these years by J.K. Rowling, I finally got my hands on my very own copy of the "Deathly Hallows" last night! Well, to be perfectly candid, I actually got it SO VERY EARLY this morning -- check out the time-stamp on my receipt.
The bookstore refused to sell any copies yesterday (no surprise there), but insisted I come back and join in the fun at 01:01 a.m. (why not at 00:01 a.m.? I think to coincide with the midnight time in Great Britain) on the 21 July 2007. The counter woman told me (in German, of course) that they'd remain open until 03:03 a.m. so I can be among the first to buy the book, and then tacitly reminded me that they might be sold out if I come back at 09:30 a.m. later in the day. *Darn* I admit that her remarks psyched me up a bit, and I couldn't garble up enough German to fire back a retort. So instead, I simply nodded and gave her one of those 'thank-you-for-that-useful-information' look, to which she smiled and added that there'd be some refreshments served around 2 a.m. *Sheeiiisshhh* As if I'd like to stay that late, in a bookstore of all places...
Anyway, to cut the long story short, I did return to the store just before 1 a.m. (after hanging around the "Freiburg Downtown Party" with some friends in the city center -- there were several Jazz bands playing last night, not bad actually, quite entertaining). When I got there, I just pushed away some tired looking children (and their parents) who were already gathered at the store front who thought they were Harry, Ron, and Hermione wearing the silly Griffindor scarfs and and wizard hats and all, and then ran to snatch the first book within my reach when the doors opened... HA HA HA HA HA...!
Now, I guess I will be quite busy this weekend figuring out the details of Deathly Hallows. So.... -----[ DO NOT DISTURB ]-----
... wirklich? Das heißt der Sommer wird am Ende zu sein. Aber erstens, muss man frag: Hat den Sommer schon angefangen? Falls ich es gar nicht bemerkt habe, sag mir bitte sofort und wach mich auf.
Ich hatte heute die Werbung des Mann Mobilia SBs in meine Freiburger Wochenbericht gelesen, und die lautet ,,Beim großen SSV können Sie jetzt bis zu - 70% sparen!`` Naja, es ist toll... nur solange Vorrat reicht, natürlich. Und nur wenn ich mehrere Möbel brauche. Oh nein, bitte nicht mehr! :P
Also, am diese Wochenende habe ich viel zu tun. Das letzte Buch von der Harry-Potter-Reihe (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) wird am Samstag veröffentlicht! Ich hatte diese Mal mit Amazon mein Buch nicht bestellt -- lange Rede... vielleicht nächste Mal sollte ich Euch erzähle. Das bedeutet muss ich frühe am Samstagmorgen zu meiner Buchhandlung für meine limitierte Edition... dessen ungeachtet!
Dann später, auch am Samstagmorgen, werden wir eine Internationale Flugschau zu sehen. Die Flugplatz Freiburg und die Luftsportvereine präsentieren die 100 Jahre Jubiläumsausgabe. Der Tag lautet ,,Flugtag Freiburg`` und ich möchte gerne die ,,Wingwalking Formation`` sehen. Hoffentlich wurde das Wetter schön gut sein, dann kann ich ein paar Bilder zu nehmen. Hoffentlich...
Haha... das hier ist überhaupt noch eine Bewies der Fortführung meines frühers Eintrags. Da habe ich Theorem 1 festgelegt: Das Sommermärchen = Viel essen + viel trinken + viel feiern, und heute haben wir den Geburtstag von Christoph gefeiert, und natürlich haben wir viel mehr essen und trinken... und lachen... und Musik hören... :)
Ich habe die Leute unseres Lehrstuhls (und Frau Pfeiffer von Prof. Schindelhauer) nach Mittagessen eingeladen. Danach haben wir zusammen zwei Kuchen gegessen: Der erste hat die Ann Kathrin super gekocht-- sehr ziemlich sicher mal und gesundheitliches lecker! Die hat auch die Spezialkerzen für Chris gepackt und zueinander haben die Kerzen ,,Happy Birthday`` buchstabiert... nicht schlecht! Der anderer (habe ich mit gebracht) ist eine italienische Torte: Die Crema Amarena von Café Vivendi. Heh heh heh... da hat jeder sofort Lust auf ein leckeres Stück ,,La Dolce Vita``.
OK. Der Chris ist endlich in meinen (und Karens) Club -- "The Quarter-and-Over-Centurions". Er ist jetzt älter als gestern. Das ist einen Fakt. Dann gehen wir wieder zur Arbeit, nicht noch nur feiern Moni ;-P
p.s. Diese kleine Überraschung für Chris war eine schwierige Aufgabe, weil er immer diesen Morgen ins Büro bleibt. Ich kann meine Plan erledigten nicht bevor er zum essen gehen... naja... dann musste ich etwas aus dem Ärmel schütteln, und schnell! Und, er... ,,alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei``?
