East Asia: Kuala Lumpur

And I am in KL right now. after three packed days of chinatown, food, green belt, temples, more food and the really impressive petronas towers we have an unexpected day of chilling ahead of us. that means: food, probably more temples, little india, more food and a chilled out day in general.
I witnessed my first hindu temple ceremony today, in the batu caves near KL, got a spot of ash on my forehead, ate rice and several curries from a banana leaf with my hands and tried jackfruit for the first time. it was a good day. I cant wait for the coconut and peanut pancakes tomorrow. mhhhh yummy. and then the perhentian islands and a bit of beachybeach and then more yummy malaysian food :D

East Asia: Singapore

I am off on the other side of the planet once more, htis time the other diresction. I have jsut spent 4 days wandering through singpore, meeting friends from uni, eating, windowshopping, eating more. the mixture between a very modern western societz meeting asia is very intriguing, even though I fear it will tip towards the western side so much it will eventually become the bland concrete cavern so many face- and personality lacking "modern" cities are. but for now it is very exciting. foodwise as well as building wise as well as shopping wise (if I had the need...) mroe to come

working days

For five weeks I had a job at the university hospital Heidelberg. I was working in the opthalmology operation theatre which I loaded and unloaded with patients, as well as one ENT operation theatre, same procedure. The last week I got to rip open a few packeges as well. nothing too demanding, but paying well. It was a weird glimplse into working life, and I must say, I am happy that I go to uni. It that was "it" I would wilt and end up hating my life. its nice to get some money, and also to get it constantly, but the job is monotonous and so undemanding i was killing braincells by the hour. In a way the perfect summer job - not too long, and not too mucht thinking after a year of uni. after work I had a cople of hours to enjoy Heidelberg, cooking, Juergens presence or to jet back home to Stuttgart, but I usually was hammered fromthe day of walking around and went to bed early. In a way it was really nice and relaxed and I was occupied. another way, 5 weeks was a good amount as well.

Brighton, Dover and melancholy

The last week of the year has arrived. People are slowly drizzeling out. The ones left over meet for a drowsy breakfast, reminiscing on the year, pitying we didnt go out enough and worked too hard, and dreaming about summer. I am all over the place. I try to scedule in friends I know I wont see in a long time, I try to pack, I try to enjoy london, and I dare not think that this year is over soon, I will be home in my old life for a few months.
In the meantime i am exploring the pleasures of london. And as of last monday, the pleasures o the area: brighton, and dover. We rented a car, and did the round trip along the coast in a day. fish and chips, beach, and chalk mountains all in one day.
I need to pack now. I dont want to pack now, but it has to be done. bye bye wilkinson, LG63 and most importantly, bye bye to the wonderful people I have been allowed to meet here. I hope that even though we are moving out etc. our friendship will remain.

internet vs the CD

Since a bit less than a year I have now been separated from my beloved and reliable library: source of lots of music. Instead I have been searching my way through youtube, lastfm and grooveshark, complemented by DASDING, by "home" radio station I used to wake up to most mornings and work to most evenings. My music habits have changed. No more complete cds, jsut a pick and mix of different songs. I miss putting in one artist and one style and listening through- the good and the less good songs. They were put there for a purpose, in that order, in that composition. "getting" some of what the artist is trying to say with that is part of the experience. The mood the CD creates is unique, eventhough it may get monotonous.
Looking foreward to home.

"es ist ein gutes gefühl zu wissen wir kennen uns noch in 10 Jahren"
Tomte: Buchstaben über der Stadt

google-What the hell?!

I cannot believe I was not able to access my blog!! the email adress that had functioned perfectly well for the past couple of years all the sudden denied my access. why??? It was perfectly fine!!! despite me not actually using that email account, it functioned perfectly well for blogging. and now im stuck with one of these stupid google accounts which interconnecs everything, doesnt leave you any privacy and traces all your internet activities- to backstab you ruthlessly with a shitload of spam and whatever else they want to sell you or make your life more transparent than youd ever want it to be- bad enough im on current cctv registration, no now all my online activities are probably recorded on my google account.
great... thanks blogger, and thanks google.

tanzt tanzt... sonst sind wir verloren

dance, dance, otherwise we are lost.

The first thing that shot through my mind upon receiving the text inviting me was "arte" followed by "3sat", the two german tv channels which show opera, dance and other cultural and intellectual highlights. Half excited, half apprehensive and half ready to be increadibly bored I texted my ok. A week later I found myself post-exam wallowing in the theatre near notting hill gate. watching the beginning scenes with my 3D specs on. My first thought was: "the next two hours will be long and painful".

Modern dance, especially on screen is often viewed with an abstraction. It is something which catches your attention between brainless tv channels, but something you think is too weird and too intellectual to actually consider entertainment or consider worthwile watching. My idea of any broadcast theatre production-be it ballet, opera, theatre or modern dance is labeled and set aside in the "boring box". Hence my feeling of "oh shit" at the beginning of the movie.

Pina makes you reconsider this. The film shows you that modern dance is more than just excentric- having lost the ballet aesthetic, daring uncomfortable situations, and expressing and adressing feelings of loss, despair, and things so uncomfortable you dont even know how to name them, except "not good". The classical standardised aestetic movement, as found in ballet is replaced by the strong feeling of joy, of love, trust, friendship and freedom the dancing excites in you. It is beautiful, not because it is so highly technical, but because it shows people how they are-inside. Pina's choreographys are expressive forces that invade you. At first slowly and infiltrive until you have understood how to read the language, but then powerful and overpowering without seeming blatantly obvious.

Pina takes dance outside- into nature, weird architecture, the road crossing, the public transport. The setting is familiar and recognisable or abstract and as out of a fashion fotoshoot-but you also have the simple stage. Scenes from performances, a dark box alightened by few, simple but still complicated props. effective and well chosen music to highlight the movements and mood, or movements to highlight the music. Sometimes traditional, german, french, modern, but always adding the next level to what you see.


Im not sure whether I like the 3D effect. It is good in 3D, even though some of the finer movements are lost in the blur. perhaps the 3D adds to the excitement and intimacy of the film. I wouldnt have chosen to produce it in 2D if I were the director and had the choice. You might as well...

I was touched, amazed and very positively surprized. Pina's choreographies connect to life, issues of every day and in the broad scope of things. This is an aspect lacking in most styles of dance, which make much of it only a leasure pleasure: monotonous and closed up in a world of its own. But this is art. Pinas choreographies express human nature, just as good litterature or paintings do. Now it has been two days and the film is still whirling around in my head. I think this is a good sign. Next time in germany I definately will try for Wuppertal to see Pina's company preform live. It must be wonderful.