'Neues Museum' Berlin - My work

  

I have taken this pictures back in October when I was in Berlin for a few days and I was impressed by the city and how it is still searching its identity. At every corner there is a story to be told and on many old buildings you can still see the signs from long lost times. As you can see them on the building of the 'Neue Museum', there still many scars of the war and many lost treasures, but it was still really impressive. I have taken so so so many pictures there, but I still managed to pic very few for now.

Being productive and Procrastination

For many the year/semester is ending by the beginning of summer and with the end many tests and exams are coming up. Well, my time at school has already ended... But I have next week as well an important CAE exam, for which I am currently revising for.

And personally for me and probably for a lot of students , studying comes always in package with something else: Procrastination. 

In the past, before this year art school, I ended up pretty often on tumblr or somewhere else on this Internet and I did hardly anything for upcoming test or projects. Which led me to an all-nighter the night before the due time for the project or to a bad grade. 

Anyway, within this year at this school I had hardly any studying to do. Mostly the work was done in school and what I did at home was more or less additional and something I did not mind to do. So with that I could concentrate revising for my upcoming English Exam and I could try out what works best for me when I am revising. 

• Unplug yourself: With 'unplug' I mean shut everything down that could distract you from what you should be doing. Always when I am revising I turn off my computer and put my phone on flight mode. The internet is a dangerous place to loose time and get caught off with cute kittens instead of Math. 
• The right place: Search a place where you feel comfortable. For me works best a solid table and a room that gets enough air and light. When the weather is warm enough and the sun is shining, I have an nice place outside on our terrace. 

In winter I used to sit at the very end of the dining table so I could look on the lake. When you open the window it feels like you are sitting outside.

• Be organised: Before you start, collect all the things you might be needing for the task you need to complete. I get to easily distracted when I have to search something during a 'revising session' because other things are way more interesting than calculating. 
• Make a playlist: Yes, for some music can be distracting while working, but music helps me to focus on the task. When there wouldn't be music I would get to distracted by the silence and my own thoughts (if that makes sense). 

          Here are a few songs I revise to;         Junior Walker & The All Stars - Cleo's Mood 

                                                                     The xx - Sunset 

                                                                      Young Man - Unfair

                                                                      The Gorillaz - Rhinestone Eyes   

                                                                      The Ramones - I Remember You   

                                                                      Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me 

• Food and beverages: Prepare a little snack (in case you get hungry or bored) and bring a bottle of water as well. Staying hydrated is important! 
• BREAK: I always plan little breaks into my 'sessions'. Not long ones, sometimes it even just helps when I have a quick dance party to my music. 
• After you are finished (or in the process) I recommend making a list of the things you have done and on what you think you could improve. Yes, to do list might help, but for me those do not work, I feel as it would force me and I think learning and revising is in the end something we do all for ourselves, so it is more or less something we do all voluntary. 

And if you have to work on your computer, then try to avoid the internet, unless it is necessary: For that I have always post-its on my side so I can write down all the sides that caught my eye and I think I could visit afterwards and things I have to look up later, because I tend to forget those things. 

Because for me the Internet is the most distracting thing ever. 

Procrastination - Packing for Cannes

Monday afternoon; god, normally I hate this day. Not that I hate it today, but it is my first day of my summer vacation and I really should be happy that I have some free time.
Should.
I am leaving for Cannes tomorrow and have no clue what I should pack and how much. So, instead of thinking what clothes I could wear, I am lying on the floor of my room, in the pile of clothes I pulled out earlier out of my wardrobe and feeling exhausted. Not that I am tired, just I don't want to do anything, I just want to lie here, listening to music and thinking how much I dislike this.
Every normal person would be finished with this task within one hour, but I know I won't even be done when it is time for dinner. When it comes to packing, I am procrastinating so bad, it is even worse than the times I had to revise for a Spanish exam. I rather watch the newest episode of my favourite show that has aired over the weekend (The new episode of Game of Thrones is out today, so I am occupied for one hour, ha-ha) and feeding myself with chocolate. It is not even that I have to pack much, I am only staying for four days.

Not only I should be gathering my things together, I also should learn some french, so that I could have a normal conversation with the host I am staying at, and that I can order a 'Iced Chai Tea Latte with Lactose-free Milk and without Ice' at Starbucks. I highly doubt that I will have Wifi at the place I am staying at, so I need to go Starbucks from time to time. Yes, I admit I am Internet-Addict, but in my generation who isn't?

M(a)y Playlist

I decided I would do once in a while a playlist. Not necessarily to a certain theme, just the songs I am currently listening to and fit my mood at the moment.

BASTILLE - Weight of Living Part I 

THE BEATLES - Strawberry Fields Forever  

DAFT PUNK feat. PHARELL - Get Lucky (Daughter BBC1 Live Lounge Cover) 

HAIM - Don't Save Me 

FOALS - My Number

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE - Over The Love 

HALF MOON RUN - Full Circle 

TOM ODELL - Supposed to Be 

JIMMY HENDRIX - Angel 

ARCTIC MONKEYS - Fire & the Tud 

THE BLACK KEYS - Lonely Boy 

CHVRCHES - Recover 

JUSTICE - On 'N' On 

SBTRKT - Wildfire 

CRYSTAL CASTLES - Celestia 

Photos out of the year - 'Early Days'

Today was the last school day for me and it left me feeling really sad, I have met so many awesome people this year and got to experience a lot of new things. Plus I am really exhausted, due to all the fuss today and the packing up.
So, because I had to look today trough all my files and photo's, I found a lot of material I really want to share. Most of them where photos for photography, many of them I had forgotten that I even have taken them. This is just a small selection of my 'early days', as I like to call them.

This year was one of the best ones in my life. Yes, it hasn't been always so easy, sometimes I was worried about my future and what I am going to to with my life. But after all this time it helped me to grow, to know what I am able to do and who I want to be. I learned not to give up on something that quickly and then throw it away. Sometimes when you give yourself that push and probably you do not have the best feeling about it, sometimes it can lead to the best things. As for me I had to learn to say 'yes' to more things and just this simple 'yes' can bring you so much more opportunities for your life. (Well okay there are still things where you say 'no' to...) This year also started for me with a simple 'yes, I want to do this'. I am really grateful I had the chance to visit such a school, even though only for one, short year. Thank you to all the people who made it so special and my friends and family who supported me through out this year and helped me with all those important decisions, you are the best!

Festival Summer - What's coming up?

Summer is finally arriving here in Switzerland and with it all the great music festivals are back. Last year, I have been to two of the big ones here and I am planning to go to Zurich Openair again.
This year it is the only one to which I really want to go, the others do not have such good line-ups like they did last year. And I realised, not only the line-up is pretty great, this festival has its perks for me:

• As I hate camping in any way and as I live near Zurich, I can easily take a train home as they provide trains during the nights of the festival. So I can get enough sleep, without worrying that some drunken ass is stumbling into my tent and tearing it down. 

• Also I do not have to bring all this camping stuff, like a tent and I can shower every day. I know they provide sometimes showers, but from my experience they are really expensive on some festivals and if they are for free they aren't really clean. Not showering is probably the worst part about camping on the festival area. 

• I do not have to bring a lot of money with me and I can recharge my phone everyday, as you might know iPhones have such bad batteries. 

• Again as it is in the area of Zurich, I know a lot of my friends are going to be there, so I can easily buy a ticket by myself, without looking out for someone tagging along with me. 

So excited about all those amazing acts, that are performing at ZOA.

I haven't got a ticket yet, because I do not know what is still coming on Sunday. Well right now nothing really excites me about it and I might as well buy only a ticket for three days instead of four.
Still, Zurich Openair is a rather new festival in Switzerland, so I guess it's not going to be sold out anytime soon and I can wait with buying a ticket until all the acts are announced.

If someone is interested as well, tickets are available here

Traveling Tanzania: The market and first day on the road

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

This is the second part of the my trip to Africa with my family in 2011. As I was writing the first part I though I could do for everyday we where on the road a separate post. So this is day two.

Sunday - The Market and on the road 

That day we woke up early, because we had a really thigh time schedule that day. After a nice breakfast with tropical fruits, the local coffee and dry cake we met our driver for this week and got some information about the whole journey and some advice. 

We went to the local market there and you cannot compare this to any European market. It seems to be so messy but in a way everything has it own logic. And they do not only sell fruits and spices, they also sell alive chicken and in some way it seemed as if they kill it right there when you bought it. Or you could take it home with a cage. Anyways we had our guide who showed us around, but there was also about 5 other people following us, because it was not common that they see tourist around on a market. They were all really lovely, but for sure they wanted some money. You cannot blame them, they have not that much as we do and living there is a lot harder that it is here. However, you have too look that you have your money in a save place and you do not give too much money, there are many thief around and you have to be careful. 

A salesman in his pile of vegetables and fruit. 

After walking around for a while and taking some pictures with the local people, we went to see the clock tower, which marks the halfway of Cairo - Cape town and the independence monument. We didn't have much time left but we still could go  to this amazing local store where they sell art and jewellery, the local people made. We bough hats for the three young people of us(well my stepbrother and my brother tagged along this journey as well) and nice jewellery. Just after a nice lunch back at the lodge, we went on the road. 

The outdoor dinning area, had a lovely lunch there. 

It was a rather long drive and as everything seems so close in Switzerland, Tanzania had a really different dimension for us. However the drive wasn't boring at all, due to our super good guide and driver Witress. He knew incredibly much about everything, he even learned once Italian in two weeks when he was guiding an Italian family.
Anyways as the drive went on we have seen so many beautiful sceneries already. It is so hard to write about this ride because it was a new experience for me and I couldn't believe I was really there. The time has flown by, we already saw some elephants, a lot of giraffes and some water buffalos, and it was already getting dark. Our guide told us that it wouldn't be save driving around at night without a protector, because it was still a reservation area and wild animals were wandering around at anytime and at night it is harder so see them and sense them. So we had to speed up a bit and I have to say it wasn't the most pleasant ride of my life, because the road has been really bad and with the speed it made it only worse. The lodge we were staying this time at, was in the middle of this park and also it was surrounded by a jungle.
It was a really nice one, again it had a main building and all over the area there where bungalows. However in a way when we first got there I had a deja-vu and I could swear I had seen this place before somewhere else. So the main building was open to all sides and had three floors. Or two, because I think the ground floor you cannot really count. It was an awesome place, I guess it would be easier to have pictures to explain.

Hello there! After a long drive we had a drink before diner, we absolutely deserved that. Also we were pretty happy that we have already seen two animals who belong to the big five. Cheers!

The diner was held outside around a big bonfire and everything was only illuminated by candles and the fire.

Such a nice room, everything was so cozy and made me feel right at home. 

That night i decided I would sleep alone, so my brother slept with my stepbrother in one bungalow and I in another. It might not have been the best idea, because that night I was terrified. Because the lodge was located in a jungle, there have been a lot of monkeys, running over the roof of my bungalow, screaming of course. Anyways as you might know I am still alive and the next morning I decided I would take a bath because the shower -dundundun- was located outside the bungalow and I wasn't that comfortable with this. But I think I should have at least tried it because all of my family said it was really nice looking out in the forest while showering.
Anyways It was a really enjoyable stay at Lake Manyara Tree Lodge and I was so sad to leave, even though I haven't slept that well. The people there were so nice, the food really good and everything made you feel like you were at home. Again I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to stay at a place like this and I hope I will be returning one day.

So more to come, in the next one I will be writing about the longest drive EVER and just a bit of our morning still at the Lake Manyara Lodge, which was at 6am and so beautiful.

All about my previous post about Tanzania can be found here.