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Happy Chinese New Year! Woof woof Bark bark Hong hong!

!i!Happy Chinese New Year!i!

The amazing thing about London is the availability of things and the willingness to celebrate. The big Chinese community in London celebrated the year of the dog with traditional dragon dances, juggling, music, speeches and daytime fireworks. This can be seen on the next two pictures. On the bigger one to the left you can also see my friend Kuki who provided most of the pictures from that event. The scary part is all the fumes, the smoke and the dust (anyone? dust!) which made it hard to see the play of colours, yet realise how much of the fumes are inhaled if it was a night time thing and you just don't see it...iihhhhhhhh! Health conscious me moving on: After our minor smoke poisoning we decided to indulge ourselves in some of the great food offered all around China Town. Getting to that "best in town" Chinese bakery in the heart of China Town took us ridiculous 45 minutes due to the crowds surrounding us. And what is it with babies in their strollers (I mean pushchair as the British call it) during events like that? Poor toddlers!





Anyway, food was delicious and of course super greasy, but hey isn't that what Chinese food is famous for? After stuffing our faces we tried to move away from the masses, dancing with more dragons, squeezing through the police forces and after some of us went home to study (what else?) the leftover decided to take a walk down to Southbank via Westminster Bridge where we met Marco who is in none of these pictures due to his hardcore hangover from the night before: It is not only for his but your best! Later that day we ended up having dinner at the Wagamama outlet near the Royal Festival Hall.

Below to your left: Who grins like a Cheshire Cat? It is Ali and me...actually I am more like the Manekineko Cat! On the right: China Town.















Below you see Kaya, my friend from Canada. Max in the middle and once more Kuki from China. They all form the SOAS elite including Ali of course!!! On the next one there is Max and me near the stage where they made sure that all of us may become prosperous (Gung hay fat choy in Cantonese) ...hopefully!






On the last picture there is the whole bunch except Kuki who took that one. We all turned Japanese! You see from left to right: Kaya, DanaE from Germany, Cat from Canada, Max, me and Alex (who doesn't seem to approve of being Japanese now...)

Bananas Happens!

...and the SHH*** is bananas...



OK kids: here's the story of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls all of them had hair of gold, like their mother.The youngest one in curls. Here's the story of a man named Brady who was living with three boys of his own. They were four men living all together yet they were all alone No, but seriously: What a stupid thing to happen! Last night I left my house in London at 6 p.m. in order to get to the airport where the plane was leaving at 9 p.m. They say it is a 45 minute journey door to door...pah! After my train suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere for almost half an hour, they suddenly decided to make an announcement - finally! Saying that "some incident happened" and we are supposed to wait a little longer. Probably someone parked their car on the rails? Who knows? After some more waiting I was still relaxed as I planned this little extra time for the trip already (we know the system, right?) Then we rolled into some upcountry joke of a train station "Bishops Stortford" where we were asked to wait for further instructions how to get to the airport. Great was that the idea of getting substitute busses must have been developed a while after we were already waiting for things to happen. Good job! And taxis were just not available. After approximately an hour in the cold the first bus got there and drove us to the airport. It was 8:40 p.m. when I got there and of course my gate was closed and they knew what happened but guess it wouldn't be a great deal. So I spoke to a lady at one of the counters. She was asking for my ID in order to check if I can get on the next plane in the morning. Then of course there was no access to the system and nothing could be checked booked or confirmed! Excellent! She apologised and only confirmed one thing: Due to all the small-prints I couldn't claim back any money from anyone, but the taxes of the flights which I am not using should be refunded, that's kind of the work in progress at the moment...she apologised (is that actually a British thing? Doing things terribly bad organisation-wise and then just apologise?) Anyway, when I got back home to my flat here in London it was almost the same time my plane was supposed to touch down in Cologne - funny...NOT! Well after unpacking I realized that I didn't get back my ID and my face went all like E. Munch's "Der Schrei"! What can I say? Britain, Britain, Britain...! Or maybe: Ben, Ben, Ben?!? Next time Germany is still uncertain. Take care all my friends!

Cookies' Birthdayparty

This is the German Society of London at Cookies' Birthday Party, unfortunately I don't have a picture of her (???) But here you see Marco and me, then Ali and me. On the third picture from left to right you see: Eva, Max, bits and pieces of Dunia, Marco and Alex (aka Ali). Last one is Max and Marcus. Germany rules haha! Great guys and great party! I presented myself with really bad manners after sleeping only 2 hours the night before due to the final report (see the preceding post) and that just made me very hyper...almost going haywire! Later, after sobering up I learned that people perceived me as Ting Tong the Thai Geisha (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=_AQvqsZFgDY) which I think is just hysterical! Go check it out! And next time when you are with me: Stop me! Haha ha

Mission Accomplished!!!

The first term is over and we all made it! Hope our results will be satisfying for all...Next term starts February 6th and I guess everyone in my team and in the University enjoys this short break now. From right to left in the first picture you see: Hamza, the Moroccan guy. Skills: Dancing high on Martini around women as if they were a strip pole (US tourists preferred), a great deal of advertising knowledge from his work in client service at Leo Burnett. Next in line is Stacey from Pocatello, Idaho NOT Pocahontas, Iowa(!) She is super smart! Her skills go beyond any companies expectations: smart fast and alert. BTW she is looking for a job at the moment... Then there is Eva from Greece: The best! Propellant: Coffee, coffee, coffee! She is clever and kind, the glue that keeps the group together and the one I am deeply bonding with. Talk to her if you get a chance, she knows very much about life, although she just turned 23...I can't help but wonder :) The only thing remaining to say: Go Team Rocket!

Exciting study period...take two! aka who's the geek with the glasses?!?

I love my blog! So I am here after finishing my first exam today... Next one is Monday. If I manage to memorise everything that's in these two excellent books it should be all jingle-bell! My friends are going out for drinks tonight and ask me to join them. It is really tempting especially because it feels like I haven't been out for ever! Well, well let's see how I will do with my revision today. I have turned into a real stay-at-home, that is a homeboy for my American friends! Anyway, the other day I ended up doing my grocery shopping online. It is really convenient and they offer great deals. So if you do the right "buy-one-get-one-free" choices the delivery fee goes down to zero...yes I did my maths! I also ordered a new kettle since ours broke last night. I did that with tschibo, the great German everything seller. What's next? I was already thinking of jewellery from TV?!? All these new ways to shop and you end up never leaving the house again. But not me. Germany may expect me to visit on the 26. of January for the weekend. It is more like a business trip, so I already apologise in advance to those I won't be able to see this time :( For those who'd like to know: the exam today went pretty ok. I should have past at least... Ok, back to my books now. Take care and be good. Love some of you a lot and most others I don't mind! Ben*

Exciting study period

Hi to the world outside... I didn't leave my house all day today, because I was working on my University projects. This is a screenshot of my computer. All the excitement of one day in one picture! Anyway, just a few more days. Really looking forward to early February when my friend will visit me in London! Ok, ok I should get going...take care all of you and I hope your days are more diverse than mine. Oh, if you click on the image it will enlarge. Toodles, Brit-Ben

Happy New Years!

Tate Modern...

Back in the Big Smoke

While dreaming of a white Christmas we ended up having a white New Years. Take a look at the garden. My my very good friend Caroline came from Romania and we met James who came over from Bangkok, we went to a bar in Waterloo.

More Christmas more parties

My last night out with the gang...funny all bars in Bonn just look alike... First picture shows Juliane, Paul and Christine brother and sisters.





On the other one you see Steffi, Paul, Viki, me and Christine...felt like a never ending night! Yet comfortably numb.

Meet the Foecklers

On the first day of Christmas I was invited to my second home in Bonn... experiencing life rock directly from the choir book by mother and daughter. Inbetween we were stuffing our faces with food, food, and more food; playing great games and unwrapping more gifts...
I had a blast!!!

Christmas after the service

These two pictures show Ying and Yang after church! Left: Sebastian, his sister Stephanie and me and on top the triplets: Mareike, Fabian and Astrid; some of my closest friends.

2nd round Germany, now in Bonn

The night(s) out in Bonn! Everyone inside the red line are part of the class of 1999, meaning we all went to highschool together. The others I don't know...


Then we have Christine, me and Philipp on the next one and on the last one there is Christine, Steffi and Isa, just before the lights went on again. Haven't seen most of them for ages, but Isa tops it all: Didn't see her for 5 years, wow!

First trip Cologne - London

Hey hey, happy new year to all of you! What a trip, what an amazing Christmas...

I was very happy to meet my old friends from the
University of Cologne again, after they had all been to China for the past year. Top left (from left to right) Steff, me and Daniel.







Left again are my friends
Simon and Mert.





Last one on the left:
Gregor, his girlfriend Charly, and Bina.


Below to your right my Mom on our road trip to the UK. After arriving in Calais.




























On the right it is me waiting to board the ferry to Dover














Last one on the right: We made it to London! Mom on one of the Nothern Line escalators on our way to Angel Highstreet. No Harrods due to diligent traffic wardens who clammed our car in the morning, thats why we spent some time queueing at the council to pay the fee, instead of shopping in the Knightsbridge area...but it is totally out of question what is nicer, right? "NEXT!"