tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587444736000124452024-03-13T07:13:14.763+01:00The Original Royabelle BlogazineHedonism on a BudgetUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-35119376636810910652010-09-06T14:24:00.003+02:002010-09-07T22:32:25.659+02:00Quote of the Day<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >The only thing that gets wasted in this household is us!</span><br /><br /><br />Don't throw out things that are still good. It's like throwing out money.<br />This simple rule that everybody's grandma knew already is still true.<br />Try and observe your own actions through a week - how much waste do you produce, how much do you throw out unnecessarily?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-71073820799884428222010-07-21T20:36:00.007+02:002010-07-21T22:08:46.675+02:00Picture and Video UpdateSome impressions from <a href="http://royabelle.blogspot.com/2010/07/summernights-dream-in-muehlheim.html">Muehlheim's Artificial Family</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RoyabelleBlog">For the video, click here.</a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(I realize that the choice of music is questionable)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs67tQwe3YYe1SIiSEb2l8b3FFHKS7hO1TENBwfUpWLyr7RxIZYetq_w1nDf44bgaHFcIK0G-rOVAm58R-5YFOqElHyxzICfN1nJKVgap7hGWd6NwdwfEEnRuzt0__-CA_KEijM96rYJRH/s1600/IMG_0031.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs67tQwe3YYe1SIiSEb2l8b3FFHKS7hO1TENBwfUpWLyr7RxIZYetq_w1nDf44bgaHFcIK0G-rOVAm58R-5YFOqElHyxzICfN1nJKVgap7hGWd6NwdwfEEnRuzt0__-CA_KEijM96rYJRH/s320/IMG_0031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496452529282575202" border="0" /></a></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmNlY2nl-9QNMBo1yOgwQtgXYnXixVqlcsSXsIjJhpEUJjjmmp8mIg8xJJceFO5AguHeQlQWP3HsVlUpUDTCc5qbgN6PSF8wB5JtCenEchuzovVBd1SJPU1cGXfmqQi9ui9BvtS9MsAyJ/s1600/IMG_0041.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmNlY2nl-9QNMBo1yOgwQtgXYnXixVqlcsSXsIjJhpEUJjjmmp8mIg8xJJceFO5AguHeQlQWP3HsVlUpUDTCc5qbgN6PSF8wB5JtCenEchuzovVBd1SJPU1cGXfmqQi9ui9BvtS9MsAyJ/s320/IMG_0041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496452829144169186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOVfzHkb2lvN4_nbkWlDiHWaf7b2zpHwgGTc_Br-12ee8hlvPtjpTJgjecMnJHiiLscpiCdYbmbQ4ZKji381vWlruPiCBbwpRyoDuPBcpCijBxQI2CAveiJKJMSIQKczjwd3gOUTdBIxn/s1600/IMG_0044.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOVfzHkb2lvN4_nbkWlDiHWaf7b2zpHwgGTc_Br-12ee8hlvPtjpTJgjecMnJHiiLscpiCdYbmbQ4ZKji381vWlruPiCBbwpRyoDuPBcpCijBxQI2CAveiJKJMSIQKczjwd3gOUTdBIxn/s320/IMG_0044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496452687994355890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y4zAGekWYHwLmL3lvN_B_DhxDixUiRXOrZSroMbVR_xkacdt79PjX5dIX2ebIXxdbbc6MFXj5xgy7QGcUyoDBruZJRXx-o_5Vj9Iu8HpBdyefdWsrj5H025bs7fJnHz-z6NwQEff80Yg/s1600/IMG_0040.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y4zAGekWYHwLmL3lvN_B_DhxDixUiRXOrZSroMbVR_xkacdt79PjX5dIX2ebIXxdbbc6MFXj5xgy7QGcUyoDBruZJRXx-o_5Vj9Iu8HpBdyefdWsrj5H025bs7fJnHz-z6NwQEff80Yg/s320/IMG_0040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496452958727326514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I'd love to find more pictures of the actual installations, they were amazing!</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJ0upNZ3KsM0NaFDSI5iYYR66w0V76NMGXaHWbywpgQswByJgllYawUuB6srlx8QakDvksfxxB67pvF5k0XJ5Z_jtjHkvSkicu-8w-XatPSa0UZo59VuTMLoF18PDKBhJZ74J2B7esruK/s1600/IMG_0031.jpg"><br /></a><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-26670875896204959372010-07-19T12:36:00.005+02:002010-07-20T13:47:45.444+02:00Poi Spinning and Hanging Out - What happened after facebookAfter my <a href="http://royabelle.blogspot.com/2010/07/not-much-love-at-love-family-park.html">not-so-euphoric review of Love Family Park</a>, I concluded that a lot more fun could have been had with a couple of beers and music in the park.<br /><br />This Sunday I put my theory to the test, and - hooray! - it worked! Hooray again!<br />To make it work, all I had to do was invite all my facebook friends on Friday.<br /><br /><br />My other preparations were just as simple:<br /><ul><li>I made five extra pairs of pois (fill balloons with 50g of rice, put them in kneelenght socks, tie a knot and you're laughing) ~ 5€ for socks, 50c for rice, 1,79€ for balloons</li><br /><li>I bought a big pot of street crayons for 2€</li><br /><li>my boyfriend organised beers, wine and ice cubes for the cooler box (~15€)</li><br /><li>I bought a mobile docking station for my iPod, which I'm going to return today "because the battery didn't last as long as it said on the packaging". That may be a lie, but I simply cannot afford this amazing little piece of technology.</li></ul><p>And that was really it. And it was a great day! </p><br /><p>We started out by writing and drawing on the street closest to us what we were doing : Poi Spinning Lessons! Everybody is welcome to join us! Loads of flowers and smiley faces! :) When we started spinning and twirling, the most unlikely types came over and gave it a try. Families, grannies, guys in suits and guys who looked like they were more scared to mess up their hair than hitting themselves with the poi, two boys who just came back from fishing... you get the picture.</p><p>Speaking of pictures: I didn't take any, but if you were there and read this, please send me your photos and videos!</p><p>And the last thing worth mentioning: Just after we started setting our little camp up, we were joined by Anastasia, a lovely Moldavian girl, who had just arrived in town on that very morning! She hung out with us til after dark and told her surprised sister on the phone that she already made friends in the new town, and is now having beers in the park with them. Anastasia told me that the whole day felt surreal like a movie to her, because in real life, people aren't that nice to strangers :) Well guess what - they are sometimes.</p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">And karma actually repaid me straight away: Yesterday I was short 19c from my supermarket bill and the girl in the queue behind me just helped me out. How often do strangers do random nice things for you? How often do you return the favor to another stranger?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-73935464603877249852010-07-19T10:35:00.006+02:002010-07-21T22:14:04.377+02:00Summernight's Dream in Muehlheim<div>Who would think that Muehlheim am Main actually is a secret party epicentre? Ok, I might be exaggerating here, but Muehlheim's well-hidden party scene took me by surprise on Saturday.<br /><br />In fact I had had a long day of inexplicable grumpiness and crankiness, and was not crazy about the idea of leaving the house at all, when I got a call from a friend in the evening. The idea of a relaxed night under the stars at the <a href="http://www.artifly.de/">Artificial Family</a>, with a campfire and chilled-out music was vaguely appealing, but what really got me was the fact that there were artsy projections on big screens all around the place. Trippy! </div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495555198869171826" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 229px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bCmOhjkoeXJQAbaEERtYjzO2Dv80fZ0Ohcdf9GqxNVNz-zBMZGHjANx6CZjrvvDu3NhtaFmxFRrdb7RdVPaPgHdi1izuiPBhwo5TGKaPd2ni_4cI03gzWDMo5_GCzXUpKS9Pj021jyd_/s320/augenbad.jpg" border="0" /><br />We arrived just after sunset, which of course was the best time to really appreciate the installations by <a href="http://www.silberfisch-design.de/">Silberfisch</a>. The crowd was an all-ages-all-styles mix, relaxed and easygoing ... almost to the point of being boring, but I blame the DJs for that. Granted, the music was supposed to be chilled-out, but at some point people wanted to dance, there was even a little crowd forming on the sand-covered (yay!) dancefloor - but the music actually got slower and more subdued, to the point of being turned off at some point (dramatic break?). Needless to say, after that only very feeble attempts at starting a new dancing crowd were made.<br /><br />But the main focus was not on the dancefloor anyways. The installations were quite impressive and fun to watch. It took a while until we'd figured out just how they work :)<br />My favourite one looked a lot like the eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings, but more colourful. Until I saw the video afterwards, I had no idea just how awesome it looked when I danced right in front of it :)<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://royabelle.blogspot.com/2010/07/picture-and-video-update.html"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Click here fo video!</span></a><br /></span></span><br />And on top of it all, this was a really budget-friendly party:<br /><br />travel costs: 7,60€ return<br />cover: 7€ (and I gladly gave them away, the box office team was absolutely darling)<br />beers were 2€, water 1,50€, coffee 1€ (we needed it to stay awake til the first train home came - remember, we were in Muehlheim!)<br />barbequed sausages were 1,80€ including all-you-can-eat-salads<br /><br />The only expensive thing at the place was a dreadlocked hippie desperately trying to sell everybody a pair of rather hideous pants, "straight from India".<br />:)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-77882050854805080752010-07-14T14:08:00.005+02:002010-07-19T12:26:35.998+02:00Raving on the Rhine<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">Until last Saturday, I'd always believed that making long scenic boat excursions is for old people only. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495556587306019874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHZZGwt8AYFKmmYs3zrBK4Js9PhMv7iuCkqdInNsVLOAJc9ognDXD0IHRq1q2gVTueh2GTASIf9EhnXpvRM18XtOUA3AzNkH-G5uDCjv9JKaUV1jLQ3H1F0cO3uOocT1wwanfKvXj02Wc/s320/senior.jpg" border="0" />I was wrong, as I am so often :)<br /><br />Through a friend of a friend I learned about a privately organised boat party in Mainz. I was rather sceptic at first, when I was told that I would basically be stuck on a boat for ten hours with people I've never met before.<br /><br /><strong>But just because something sounds like a stupid idea, it usually doesn't mean I won't do it.</strong><br />So at 12:30 last Saturday a friend of mine and I arrived in Mainz, utterly disorientated and tired, but in good spirits. Until I realized that I had exactly 15€ on me, and no card to take money out. Oh, and of course they didn't accept credit cards on the ship. What a way to start a party ... </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495559676065362338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02a5B428RBYsPV19kvpGh_qO47UawNFswa1Py8ZVoVu7GDbozjAtpsoRIfKh-8Bk8GHyQiMWPazOkYS0yQIkYR3nWW05VjhLh4duUPQOJFog4EuoI8IzvTf1NxL9y47tcDKvFhgoWs2gU/s320/under+deck.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;">Trying to find some shade on the lower deck</span><br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------<br />Now if you find yourself at a party with next to no money at all, I find it advisable to NOT let everybody know. That just sounds desperate and if it's only the very beginning of the day/night, people might think you "forgot" your cash on purpose because you're cheap. Or they might pity you. Both sentiments I don't really like, so I decided to shut up and see how I can manage over the day.<br />Thankfully, the drinks were really cheap on the boat. Otherwise, I'm sure, the crowd would've gotten moody, because obviously there is no alternative to the board bar. Also, the sun was scorching hot, we had <strong>over 40*C in the sun. </strong>Making water any more expensive than it was (~1,50€) would have been irresponsible.<br /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495560639684276818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmV6SVjj0ccTc9KEOz_juC_ZTKgsZljCeBvMJqxvoW6J3_zb6abRX7HaLan6jR84W_10x5GIr5Q8mC658SYZLebXWQfDzgJC-acKLRZB8WR1EbVC0vmccf7kUgfOYt78uMBwXyvnZeZu7/s320/laendereck.jpg" border="0" /><br />So I got myself the first drink, mingled with my friend's friends and their friends, and then the friends of those. As it turned out, most people knew each other already and I was the exotic outsider. And then ... well, I hate to say it but I totally capitalized on that status ^^<br />But I never bugged anybody to buy me a drink, or got all doe-eyed. No sir. I just gladly accepted if somebody offered to get me something :)<br /><br />Do you find that kind of behavior cheap/desperate?<br />I found that getting drinks or dinners paid for by somebody else is a major issure for many German girls. But I digress, I could write whole articles about this... and maybe I will. But not now.<br />----------------------------------------------------------------<br />Because the party went on. And on. And on. </p><p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495560696477963890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUcjWUFAhKLcqoQ325tdeshEAFBMPutwMTOCdMShuVLvrN9EH6f86KhW2wEs2bd46M5W1x1PfGKJKhPhEXi6sU5Lj9H2ntcQdZQ8vAjZbkbullglvciut29S0d7MZaZKNV6-XY2Zccjys/s320/upper+deck.jpg" border="0" /><br />By 3 p.m., everbody was properly plastered. By 4 p.m., most of the people were dancing. By 5 p.m. the staff had given up telling us to not dance on the tables.<br />When it got slightly cooler (not <em>cold</em> by any means, only gradually more breezy and just below 35 degrees), I got up and danced, too. Originally I had expected the party to be packed, but as it turned out, there was well enough room for everbody... and I didn't have the poi on me! Bugger!<br /><br />But being tipsy and light-headed from too much sun made me creative, so I started asking random guys on the boat if I could borrow their tops. Yes, that's right. Wifebeater-wearers were my favourite victims, because ... those shirts are easiest to turn into pois :)<br /><br />This is how you do it:<br />Walk up to a guy, smile sweetly and ask if you can borrow his shirt for five minutes. Tie a big, loose knot into the bottom end of the top. Make it wet with a little of water to add weight. Stick your fingers through the top end. Spin like poi. Voila!<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">After thus spinning two tops completely out of shape, I realized that the knot is optional ^^</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br />Apparently the other party-goers liked it, partly because the water from the shirts lightly rained down on them and the wind I created was very much appreciated.<br />When we later moved on the after-partyboat-party, one of the guys even made me an improvised pair of pois from bottle-openers and barrier tape. Needless to say, I was way too far gone at that point to avoid hitting myself in the head with them so i quickly gave up on them. But I still think that the token gesture was adorable. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-29759319436440016772010-07-09T10:40:00.004+02:002010-07-09T12:08:59.563+02:00After-Work Fun6 things to do for little to no money when you come out of the office in the afternoon and it's a beautiful day:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Go to a public pool. Hopefully at this time all the kids are tired and on their way home. Ask for a special price at the ticket booth, if the pool is about to close within the next two hours. The lion and I paid 1€ each yesterday for two hours of swimming and hanging out.</li><br /><li>Find a way to climb on the roof of your house, take a sunbath where nobody can see you. </li><br /><li>Make sock-poi out of kneelength socks and little bags of rice or sand. Practice with friends, not in front of the computer (for inspiration, have a look at these youtube channels: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMOtchpP8A">1</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx3QvkIXOdk&feature=fvst">2</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/nickcannpoi">3</a> )</li><br /><li>Have a watergun fight in the park. If you can't find anybody who's up for it, organise a waterfight flashmob. There are websites that will help you with that: <a href="http://www.flashmob.co.uk/">here</a>, <a href="http://www.flashmob.com/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Start-A-Flash-Mob/">here</a>)</li><br /><li>Go <a href="http://www.guerrillagardening.org/">guerilla gardening</a>. Reclaim your streets.</li><br /><li>Read a book that's been sitting in the shelf for ages. But do it outside, with ice cream at hand.</li></ul><br /><p>I'd love to hear what you guys do on a long, warm afternoon. Care to share? :)</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491846122822873362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GiwlECmxo3lcuP4-gjRJMj1zJSPkpPRxJi5Um7HzK5S7h59z494jPtN9X1Xbf5QI-ywC4rtzvsHo-mYhxJv7SPRpLWlJk-4UJ4wYFZksXnyJ-7qPwZVI8_mKl29UZcYPtpiBe_x3ALLe/s320/guerilla_gardening_vb.jpg" border="0" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-40657122103964367052010-07-08T11:49:00.006+02:002010-07-14T14:57:38.664+02:00I want my NinjaVideo!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIJLCPQavUxqVXOk2EK2pmnsWdHkYW2NfbWacKb560Xk8adt4uuv-bTxW00LBOJNP22xLzejKQs3fqtdBsrCrYKRnVCghW7YB6WDduV2U8CCcgAiLqrN2Wh7ckFKwaSDBYYrGLdehJqw-/s1600/domain+seized.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491508993941891538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIJLCPQavUxqVXOk2EK2pmnsWdHkYW2NfbWacKb560Xk8adt4uuv-bTxW00LBOJNP22xLzejKQs3fqtdBsrCrYKRnVCghW7YB6WDduV2U8CCcgAiLqrN2Wh7ckFKwaSDBYYrGLdehJqw-/s320/domain+seized.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Again, I'm late. On June 30th <a href="http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1006/100630losangeles.htm">the ICE shut down 9 websites that distributed pirated movies </a>and TV series. One of them was ninjavideo.net. </div><div>I often watched American and British TV shows there, simply because I couldn't watch them any other way here in Germany. When they had problems with one ad provider, I donated a little money, because I didn't take this super convenient service for granted. But not only did NinjaVid have just about everything and anything that one could want to watch, awesome specials (like the Dennis Hopper collection), they also had a very lively and intelligent community. </div><br /><div>All of that was shut down, the funds seized and the bank accounts shut down, so now the Ninjas can't even afford legal proceedings. If you want to help, have a look here:</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.saveninjavideo.net/">http://www.saveninjavideo.net/</a></div><div>or follow @SaveNinjaVideo on twitter : <a href="http://twitter.com/SaveNinjaVideo">http://twitter.com/SaveNinjaVideo</a></div><div>or on facebook : <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=129200970452184">http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=129200970452184</a></div><br /><div>Of course, all attempts at creating a Legal Fund have been stopped immedeately, accounts have been frozen and so far the only way to help out seems to be to click the ads on <a href="http://www.saveninjavideo.net/">Save Ninja Video</a>. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491509298784439490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9leGD6YXWOTKlwmu0hhutnELCLaiTs0qCvJrp7dCGnSVYTNibXLjz09DWZcUce47_U4CtJjYXkq2hL256Bc4osvXBJx25k8_rrjJbT0zjo4PsXN0_jWymgv016RkWPuUxBzeJ__-HqBW8/s320/ninja.bmp" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div><strong>So do I support illegal pirating of movies? Yes AND no.</strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>No</strong>, because I generally respect laws and regulations.</div><div><strong>Yes</strong>, because these websites are the only way for millions of people around the world to watch shows and films that are not available in their country. </div><div><strong>No</strong>, because pirating movies obviously costs production companies money that they need to make more movies. But ironically it is mostly the very big production companies complaining about piracy, and they could effortlessly cut their costs to balance out their losses by deflating the ridiculous salaries for their (already extremely rich) actors. </div><div><strong>Yes</strong>, because watching some shows or movies online usually makes me want to go and own the DVD or go to the cinema, respectively. It's like a free advertisement for the movies, and it allows you to make informed decisions before you pay money.</div><br /><div><strong>YES, because there is no alternative. </strong>I have read SO many times on various different blogs and forums, that many people would happily pay a reasonable fee to watch their favorite programmes online in good quality, but there is no provider for it.</div><div>The demand is high for a legal way to watch TV and movies online and on demand. Let's hope it's coming soon.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Now what do you think?</strong></div><br /><div></div><div>More links for a more or less informed opinion:</div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.epirate.net/">ePirate</a><br /><div><a href="http://www.p2pnet.net/story/41302">People2People</a></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGV-zwseBHY">NinjaVideo Manifesto as audio</a> , <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq5RhFh2fZU&feature=related">part 2</a></div><div><a href="http://www.geekosystem.com/federal-officials-take-down-nine-domains-for-offering-first-run-films/">GeekoSystem</a></div><div><a href="http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/in-anti-theft-effort-officials-seize-9-domain-names/">NY Times</a></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-8781929286406373882010-07-06T12:58:00.011+02:002010-07-08T14:32:42.528+02:00Not much Love at Love Family Park<div>Last Sunday saw the 15th anniversary of the hugely popular<a href="http://www.lovefamilypark.com/content/"> Love Family Park</a> Festival in Hanau, close to Frankfurt. For 38,55€, I thought I was in for a treat for relatively small money : 12 hours, 3 stages, 15 DJs and live acts and a guesstimated 20.000 happy loved-up ravers. Transport and afterhour club included.Sounds like fun, no? <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490802595770632034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 227px; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqkeM0qpsz2i_racgmgbP7NgvmSSbe5k0070O22hPpI8S_NS3WVB-TKs7rkWIDoBfugr-KRW_TL5UnNVdOTKEyJunVRTExUmmaH4bhHQhy6ven-wV7alEJnasaMXHFtK_keqeT2Y5py3I/s320/Love_Family_Park_2010_Webflyer.jpg" border="0" />That's what I thought, too...<br />So here's what happened.<br />The festival started at 10 a.m., but none of my friends could really be asked to get there before 1 p.m.. The weather was absolutely brilliant, bright sunshine and a light breeze - what more could you want? Usually the entrance is a bit of a hurdle, but we hardly had to queue at all, and our bags were not taken apart and searched but rather quickly scanned by a bored security girl. Call me strange but I find it a little rude when security people scrutinize every last item in your purse, including tampons...<br />But obviously they have a point, especially at a festival that caters to a scene that has a bad reputation for loving their drugs. The same reasoning probably inspired the presence of truckloads of cops. Really, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">THEY WERE EVERYWHERE!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490801756766767378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFHZHy4rIiM19RXy5rLcl_I3gjHRJRWyQ0kYCkMRda2IC8-3BD6eGXfZ0-usjBks0uXmgsw-J4cNh0m86y-f6yy_Mdqw1lzuQr5LB1q7V_LLG_VS27kt5y7hryXN3vEmgnze-_VZfI6rr/s320/cop+alert.jpg" border="0" />Apart from the security guys who watched the entrance, there were at least one police team in full combat gear (with guns!), uniformed and armed policemen patrolling the place, two or three of them constantly watching the place from above and an unknown number of undercover cops. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">How do you tell if somebody is a cop without a uniform? </span><br /><br />They wear closed-toe shoes for their own security and in case they have to run. They bring expensive shades - most people won't, because they intend to get drunk and chances are you lose/sit on your fancy sunglasses when intoxicated :) They have some sort of bag, bum bag or massive pockets and most of them won't take off their shirts even in the most excruciating heat.<br />And of course, if somebody just stands around for hours, watching people from an elevated spot and regularly talking into an earpiece, that's a dead give-away. From our little tent I had a good view of one of those guys. He might as well have written POLICE on his forhead. I had nothing illegal to hide but it still made me feel uneasy to know that everybody was being observed.<br /><br />But the most annoying part is yet to come.<br />Maybe this procedure is totally normal at Love Family Park, but I found it to be a massive nuissance. So instead of just going to a bar and buying your (overpriced) drinks, you first had to buy tickets worth 10€ each, with which you could go to the bar. There, they would tick off the money used for your drinks and deposit. The crux was, that even the cheapest drinks would cost you 6€ (including 2€ deposit for the cup or bottle), so for getting the next drink you would return to the bar, get your deposit (in cash), take it to the ticket box, buy another drink ticket, and start from the top.<br />As if that wouldn't be enough of a hassle, the bar staff would sometimes forget, sometimes refuse to give you deposit vouchers, meaning you could bring back your empty cups and bottles, but you wouldn't get your money back. Awesome. I'm sure the bars made a good extra income like that.<br />By the way, the food stand (yes, there was only one) didn't accept the tickets, just cash. And they handed out different deposit vouchers for their plates, just to make sure you get seriously confused with all those little slips of colorful paper in your wallet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCPHUpS9sgJBHnBKHV4DxIB9ZAzHMbIxDctN4b5Go0WJZR514iNWVy_7534OCr2Mu2mEriAuvRvXfw_5SkAKWkqLO5nDAHDidFm6xpR-naPXeCkKytbngLylZR7t-MjgmHmhKE-eL3FgP/s1600/310407.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490828663942375618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCPHUpS9sgJBHnBKHV4DxIB9ZAzHMbIxDctN4b5Go0WJZR514iNWVy_7534OCr2Mu2mEriAuvRvXfw_5SkAKWkqLO5nDAHDidFm6xpR-naPXeCkKytbngLylZR7t-MjgmHmhKE-eL3FgP/s320/310407.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />It wasn't all bad though :)<br />To give the festival some credit, there were a couple of cool things going on as well; the decorations were nicely done (nothing compared to Fusion Festival, but they tried), they had a massive outdoor shower for cooling yourself down, an <a href="http://www.alice-project.de/index.html">Alice</a> truck and obviously some really loud music by really famous DJs.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490801946099617042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX54tNdwV-qNIVXUWntZJc95O7ALEo1kwzxHIQ5XbFIlyNIWyBGy0WA1oORv2F_CbvuFI8IaFR85Y7mpwDWcrqJx1k2U_PqpxcDbjbjRW2EdcMZzCw7em-4BQzPPa4QR4_XT7Dl0ybSfm/s320/deco+spider.jpg" border="0" /><br />Also people took pictures of my friends and me as if glittery facepaint and poi would go out of fashion, which of course they won't as long as I'm still around :) If anybody sees one of those pics, please let me know because I didn't take a camera (because intoxicated people tend to lose/sit on those, too :) )<br /><br />...<br /><br />Alright, so in that last little part of this post I'm just trying to make myself feel better about the fact that the lion and I spent more than 200€ on a mediocre festival. Darn.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To make it short: </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">I won't go again. It's definitely not worth the money, I could've had a lot more fun hanging out with friends in a park, with beer and a stereo. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-18216557441211862822010-07-02T12:00:00.004+02:002010-07-08T14:38:28.556+02:00Doe Deere on Stage!I feel like I'm much too late with this post, because every self-respecting make-up-related blogger already slagged off <a href="http://www.doedeereblogazine.com/">Doe Deere's</a> <a href="http://www.limecrimemakeup.com/">Lime Crime</a> products or commented on her business ethics (which appear to be shady at the very least) ... but here's my two cents on it.<br /><br />For the production of Brave New World I used two of her Magic Dust eyeshadows and two of the lipsticks from the Candyfuture line (Centrifuchsia and Retrofuturist). I also recommended them to the actors of the theatre and friends who all loved the vibrant colors and great pigmentation of the products. I was even going to organise a big order from the online shop for everybody ...<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br />BUT </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">then I did my homework. </span>And I feel like such an idiot now.<br /><br />Apparently the whole brand is a big scam, repackaging wholesale products and marking up the price by around 400%. They add a gorgeously tacky packaging, which seems to be the only original part of the product. For more informed and less angry reviews, please have a look at these here:<br /><br />From Lipstick&Lightsabres :<br /><a href="http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2010/01/lime-crime-beneath-glitter.html">Beneath the glitter</a> , <a href="http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2009/10/mineral-mayhem-v25-mutiny.html">Mineral Mayhem</a> , <a href="http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2009/10/will-real-slim-shady-please-stand-up.html">The Real Slim Shady</a> , plus many more on Anastasia's fantastic blog<br /><br />From Funny Face:<br /><a href="http://lillianfunnyface.blogspot.com/2009/10/doh-deere.html">Lime Crime Make-Up Dilemma</a> (feels like Lillian took the thoughts straight from my mind and blogged them!) and <a href="http://lillianfunnyface.blogspot.com/2009/10/doh-deere.html">Doh A Deere</a><br /><br />From Jessica Allison:<br /><a href="http://outinapout.blogspot.com/2009/09/comparing-wholesale-micas-to-retail.html">The Match of the Century</a><br /><br />From Afrobella:<br /><a href="http://www.afrobella.com/2009/11/12/the-straight-dope-from-doe-deere/">The Straight Dope, From Doe Deere</a><br /><br />... the latter being the most positive unbiased account I could find, usually the reviews were much more negative...<br /><br />In case you were interested: I find the Lime Crime products to be very expensive, but decent quality. As I said I used them for a stage production and they never failed me. Yes, the "Magic Dust" eyeshadows do go flakey and cakey when used with other products, but with some minor artistic skills I believe you can make them look good. The colour payoff is remarkable, also for the lippies. No slagging off here :)<br /><br />But of course, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">you can find all their products cheaper</span>, and at a competitive quality.<br />Check out these links:<br /><a href="http://www.tkbtrading.com/"><br />http://www.tkbtrading.com/ </a><br />That's right. The colours DO look familiar. They're essentially the same colours you see on LimeCrime, just ... there's about 200 other shades too, same quality!!! YAY! And they're 4$/ounce. Think about it, girls.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.barrym.com/">http://www.barrym.com/</a><br />In case you didn't know Barry M. Damn, they rule supreme. Love their variety of products. What else can you say.<br /><br /><a href="http://morganaminerals.com/shop/">http://morganaminerals.com/shop/</a><br />Be prepared for some awful web design. Do have a look at their variety of lipsticks. They put LimeCrime to shame.<br /><a href="http://www.sugarpillshop.com/"><br />http://www.sugarpillshop.com/</a><br />Cute, somewhat alternative online shop for dangerous colours. Don't know much about the quality, can you help me out there?<br /><br />AAAAAAAND<br /><a href="http://www.aromaleigh.com/">http://www.aromaleigh.com/</a><br />They're closing their business, which makes me a little sad. They sell good quality make-up in a wide variety of shades (and not just the eyes/lips variety. they have blush! YES!).<br />Here's the voucher code for the going-out-of-business-sale : <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">adieu35</span><br /><a href="http://evilangelstore.blogspot.com/"><br />http://evilangelstore.blogspot.com/</a><br />unbelievable make-shift-looking make-up online store. Just look at it and try NOT to want anything. It's darn close to impossible :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sooo, dear theatre cast: let's order somewhere else if we're still gonna do this. Mail me. Or just come to Anne's yoga class on saturday and get in touch :)<br />See everybody there! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-6489694357574553852010-06-30T13:41:00.014+02:002010-07-01T16:22:56.944+02:00Last Performance - Woooohooooo !<div align="left">Sooo, after 12 nights of madness behind the scenes of the <a href="http://www.english-theatre.org/">English Theatre</a>, last night was our last staging of <a href="http://www.english-theatre.org/DramaClub-production.92.0.html">Brave New World.</a><br /><br />I really enjoyed this performance, as I have most of them, and even though it was exhausting<span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;">(it's like a second full-time job)</span> and annoying at times<span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-size:78%;">(people "misplacing" my make-up in their backpacks...)</span></span> I will miss the mayhem and creative loopiness of the actors, the tech & backstage crew, the box office girls and the bar staff. </div><div align="left"></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488940854772093890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYhBPaERgOuKpp4GCL1uc_qpWcd4Shy1r10yoQp79iWdbkbIs0W4c0RvZ6v4yK_8nCfupWY0gv5bDThUK66gCek8gD9pRCHsrhiwW6nGYWsFL2fElR9moCD7ECmT8PzCHqUk4qQ7BZvwI/s320/beni+lenina.jpg" border="0" /><br />The performances of the last few nights have seen their fair share of improvising and spontaneousness, more often than not puns referring to the fantastic game that the German football team played on Saturday. Of course for the last performance, everybody took it a step further - and I wase part of it! That's right, I had a teeny cameo appearance on stage in the last scene. Make-up artists like applause too, you know :)<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488941015631495618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeInTpdtPEqBc_1P9w9IYjVBOdzsvwjjeatXS3U1M5pWeMK4dSp-XJ6FZkv-l7pzsZvHPh9MMH17FcbgnRWUuH42v9CWYLBmydMHP8UjrOJu4ojDaz2nWn8zFSwLYTN0KL1_WDs6Xna8Il/s320/lili.jpg" border="0" /><br />In fact I believe that for a perfect theatre experience one should see the opening night and the last performance. On the opening night, the actors will stick to the text and the director's directions (hopefully) so you get to see the piece exactly as it was intended. By the last night however, little changes will be made and obviously the actors act more freely because they are more used to their roles, lines and audiences. </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488941993905598546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyx3hu5yMC4goOmE5eBp8UPhBswyBTxpjQal-H_6KY3t7-3zUPF8PW-g4WLcBKRvdaNhZT0QqW7tHvi8gCAcUiYriMKf7uREob9iuxjxNlwA0uO4srEMIXXmeXk00KZSd8_zMvdv2aHIq/s320/donut.jpg" border="0" /><br />And on the last night, obviously things get a little wacky and crazy. Here's a list of the little changes that were spontaeneously made last night (<span style="font-size:78%;">can you tell I like lists? :)</span> )<br /></p><ul><li>two "policemen" turned from stonecold and rough into flirty gays with golden handbags</li><li><div align="left">the "savage" decided to not hide in Dover, as he did the other nights, but in Offenbach instead... if you don't know what Offenbach is like, don't worry, you're not missing out on much. The rivalry between Frankfurt and Offenbach is one of the many things I won't ever really grasp about this strange part of Germany that is Hesse.</div></li><li><div align="left">in a party scene, two actors started making out wildly in the background until one of them was completely covered in blue (!) lipstick</div></li><li><div align="left">the tech crew replaced one projection, almost ruining the mood in the final scene because it sent half the actors into giggling fits</div></li><li><div align="left">cameo appearances by myself and the director's assistant</div></li><br /><li><div align="left">and then some ... :) if you read this and find I forgot something, tell me about it. I'm absolutely positive that I didn't give everyone credit here, sorry!</div></li></ul><br /><div align="left">So, that's why last nights of stage productions are a lot of fun. Another classic is replacing "fake" drinks with actual alcoholic beverages, but seeing as a lot of "champagne" (<span style="font-size:78%;">water...<span style="font-size:100%;">) was consumed on stage, that would've been really expensive ... </span></span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This post is also to thank everybody in the cast for making this a fantastic and fun experience!</span></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488938603297350738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh1tY-chMnBxGMQbDjGZWqu_CTu3XBqZwqJegtu-K82g2-G6pJcUYtRnb2U1HandLHF33MVUj3nlDj5Se21Rtp_Qk5bt4fuwedhXcEICBAYGvQD1-PVe6tKr-Rgc2TSbu2bzjeMSR4pnK/s320/whole+cast.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center">You rock, guys!<br /><br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-6037428610218112592010-06-22T10:59:00.005+02:002010-06-22T12:28:50.286+02:00An Affair with the TheatreDid you know that Frankfurt is the home of the largest english-speaking theatre in continental Europe?<br /><br />I only found out about this after I started helping out there. That's right, I've been appointed the in-house make-up artist for the new play, <a href="http://www.english-theatre.org/Brave-New-World.77.0.html">Brave New World.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.english-theatre.org/uploads/media/8235923481571ff2e70614b915df8566.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 552px; height: 368px;" src="http://www.english-theatre.org/uploads/media/8235923481571ff2e70614b915df8566.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />My boyfriend is one of the lead actors in the production, hence my involvement. Also, it's sooo much fun! I get to paint a good dozen of actors and actresses, one of them actually gets a bodypainting all over his chest, arms and back - every night of the week!<br /><br />Of course director Michael Gonszar and the fantastic mistress of costumes Nina Luecker have their ideas as to how the make-up is supposed to look, but I get a lot of artistic freedom with the actual designs. I also like to talk to my "victims" in the make-up chair to make sure they feel comfortable with my work. They get to check their faces halfway through the process, put in their ideas and wishes and so on. This way, everybody tends to be happy with the results - maybe with exception of myself because sometimes I just don't get <span style="font-weight: bold;">WHY ON EARTH</span> some of the make-up-madness is neccessary.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHY</span> does that one androgynous character have a blue face with white lips and massive falsies? (You can see for yourselves, she's in the picture above on the left)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHY</span> does the "savage" have to be green and red? And I mean green and red all over. I asked the actor about that and he said he plays a ninja turtle, which is really not the case, but he sure looks the part :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.english-theatre.org/uploads/media/eceabd57f928e1b1e18db6c35706a6d5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 554px; height: 369px;" src="http://www.english-theatre.org/uploads/media/eceabd57f928e1b1e18db6c35706a6d5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I have to admit I'm quite glad that many of the actors are perfectly able to do their own faces. The others have been very sweet and patient with me, very creative and very much fun. On top of that, I have a lovely "assistant" on some nights, so I actually get to watch some of the play.<br /><br />Of course I highly recommend going to see the piece :) It's a quirky, colourful yet thoughtfully planned production, with many passionate actors, whose love for their profession radiates from the stage. They take a rather wordy, lenghty play, make it fun and exciting to watch and leave you breathless and with lots of food for thought after the show.<br /><br />Oh, and it's only 15€ cover, with reduced prices for groups and students. There are still tickets available for next weekend, <a href="http://www.english-theatre.org/Tickets.5.0.html">so hurry and get yours :)</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-42175688537333386432010-05-30T11:38:00.004+02:002010-05-30T11:49:59.527+02:00Smack My Bitch Up!Last friday the Prodigy concert just simply rocked! WOOHOOOO !!!<br /><br />But - we were late because for some extremely odd reason there was no support band, just a DJ before the concert, and they started the show almost on time! The Prodigy was more on time than the Germans! Fancy that! :)<br /><br />Also, the goddamn Jahrhunderthalle is at the end of the world! Ok, so in fact it's just a little more than 10k from our house, but it took over an hour to get there with public transport... another reason I refuse to like Frankfurt with all my heart: even though the city is actually quite small, it takes a good half hour to get anywhere at all, thanks to the public transport, which does run frequently but slowly.<br />The city actually put up little countdown-signs that tell you in exactly how many minutes your bus/train is supposed to come, but they turned into a big joke. Before they were installed, it would sometimes feel like those two minutes on the schedule were really ten - now you don't get that feeling anymore, you KNOW it ;)<br /><br />But enough of that! I want to see a full Prodigy concert now, and am keen on going to a festival or two this summer. Fusion Festival is sold out, but that won't stop me from trying :) I'll keep you updated, but now I gotta go and celebrate a birthday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-70142703692736504412010-05-17T20:53:00.007+02:002010-05-28T16:16:51.064+02:00Gems of FrankfurtYes! That's right, I am posting again.<br />I found it surprisingly hard to write about Frankfurt, hence the break. It's an awfully expensive city, where everybody on the street seems just that tiny bit more prim and proper and polished, and everything is just that tiny bit more pricey ... so I found myself struggling to keep an eye on the budget as I tried to balance a physically demanding job with a social life on my rare free days.<br /><br />So now, after half a year of bartending and schlepping trays of beer, I am back to a normal sleeping pattern and an office job, which gives me the time and means to finally explore my new home a little bit.<br /><br />Over the last weekend, the annual Rowing Festival took place on the river Main and I went to have a sneak peek.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJnctlqexwDE53B02eczpGYT8Kn_9FttITecxg2MQJ5qIskVQYSq89kDeQ-VCMjzPIqFeHh3qOAvjBoNPv9uSxJT9dp4mOZ3sJrWkZK8-pWy0iC1htilUeATqvRBMrjBDdTXJMwcw8R91/s1600/ruder2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJnctlqexwDE53B02eczpGYT8Kn_9FttITecxg2MQJ5qIskVQYSq89kDeQ-VCMjzPIqFeHh3qOAvjBoNPv9uSxJT9dp4mOZ3sJrWkZK8-pWy0iC1htilUeATqvRBMrjBDdTXJMwcw8R91/s320/ruder2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472319161125720178" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not much of a boat person, or, for that matter, a water person, but as you can see behind the studs on the picture above, there was plenty of entertainment on the land as well. The lion and myself took a stroll down the river and this is a list of what we found:<br /><ul><li> A little square where kids taught each other how to inline-skate to tacky 90s techno</li><li> One hippie girl with pois who got entirely lost in said tacky 90s techno</li><li> Loads of stands with meat products in 4765834 varieties...<br /></li><li> <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Apple wine comes in rosé too!</span> And it's delicious. Check out the <a href="http://www.maincafe.net/">Maincafé </a>for a pint of the pink loveliness</li><li> Frankfurtians actually are too awkward and embarrased to say anything to people who consume drugs in public places. Now _you_ tell me if that's a good or a bad thing...<br /></li></ul>After our little walk we stumbled into the <a href="http://www.36gradfrankfurt.de/">36Grad on Schweizer Platz. </a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTDePDxa_acnnSmszbh6x1gczZ7ibUNnxzsKYBTHbnzhn5TQT9hQDZpV4LskOzCIAO9dZedLmTMQXrX-P-31UBwSerP62x4woE50zosaJGISogHHp32RJsBgo4Tn3SyzfRbntsaci-NgD/s1600/36grad1.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTDePDxa_acnnSmszbh6x1gczZ7ibUNnxzsKYBTHbnzhn5TQT9hQDZpV4LskOzCIAO9dZedLmTMQXrX-P-31UBwSerP62x4woE50zosaJGISogHHp32RJsBgo4Tn3SyzfRbntsaci-NgD/s320/36grad1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472323035227885554" border="0" /></a>You can't tell from the website, but this bar/café/restaurant really is very cute and whimsical, comfortable with big sofas everwhere and very friendly staff. The perfect place for coffee-and-cake-time with the girls or a romantic candle-light dinner. The food we had was very tasty, even if it was not the re-invention of the wheel, as we say in German. But heck, I only paid 8,20€ for a yummy and generously sized dish of pasta (creamy gorgonzola-sauce, sundried tomatoes and a cheese that they claimed was parmesan but that was, in fact, something entirely different).<br />The bottles of wine start at 12,50€, that is by far the best deal I've seen in a restaurant here!<br /><br />And then ... came the deserts!<br />*pause here to contemplate the tastiest desert you've had lately*<br /><br />*now imagine it better*<br /><br />And that's what we got! The lion had an interesting tiramisu-style concoction with chocolate cantuccini instead of the lady's fingers that you usually use. Also, the chefs at 36Grad do not shy away from using heavy ingredients and I think that's exactly the right way to go - who wants a skimmed tiramisu anyways? Let's just say, this was perfect as it came...<br />My own desert was a delectable Crema Catalata (caramelized spanish vanilla pudding!) with fresh mangos. I wanted to slowly relish in the creamy goodness, but it was gone way too soon :D<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2jmoO0FKtj2iPcsyJPjq0kxLOFZ48WbKdy57mIkb4eoNvu5jb71hKHD9B53wJO7B_4G9KgL6ZqdpvsDLfEpufH4sjB9wfLC4MTvHK4pr6CfB04dcsGcKAff2-QbkQ6q4m98NgAwwe2oK/s1600/36grad2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2jmoO0FKtj2iPcsyJPjq0kxLOFZ48WbKdy57mIkb4eoNvu5jb71hKHD9B53wJO7B_4G9KgL6ZqdpvsDLfEpufH4sjB9wfLC4MTvHK4pr6CfB04dcsGcKAff2-QbkQ6q4m98NgAwwe2oK/s320/36grad2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472331020571683554" border="0" /></a><br />By the way: If you should ever find yourself in this area of town (Schweitzer Platz) and can't afford posh dinner and homemade cake, check out the little Thai corner shop on Schneckenhofstraße. They do traditional wok dishes without MSGs and their veggie dumplings are a revelation at only 2,40€.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-89143034274700202822009-11-10T15:25:00.013+01:002009-11-10T16:42:42.483+01:00Last Rays of SunlightIt's Mid-November already, and I only realized that now. I woke up to a dull grey day and had a <span style="font-size:100%;">hard time lifting up my own mood until I remembered the last photo shoot I did. Photographer Andy Kacze and myself went on a stroll through my old neighborhood in Berlin and captured the last bit of autumn sunshine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AxcHdUKOKEvaGGP0tzCG4Nk4rw9dgb8FPpYnCLBTuS9P2azq5YVvfdJCbNi_E_dkFPf-ELUKLIlTkg0wgS0pFHNXzYQZpD280ZUhveaGV32qIogWlSl5FLkmKLHkUCviKH6FxVNTml41/s1600-h/IMG_5364.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AxcHdUKOKEvaGGP0tzCG4Nk4rw9dgb8FPpYnCLBTuS9P2azq5YVvfdJCbNi_E_dkFPf-ELUKLIlTkg0wgS0pFHNXzYQZpD280ZUhveaGV32qIogWlSl5FLkmKLHkUCviKH6FxVNTml41/s320/IMG_5364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402495814945078482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvuEfV1tLPi_QLoA2HZKri_F4fsrHWsUvS7pdLL4js4cbYV1mOueipXj47wwZZhdDAr27HDK0uyxXih1cuYopCdSuSgjxkNgPsVUIQkX3mur4ic5PXNCkhTVkh78ZaeAznD6XvGlcalbA/s1600-h/IMG_5351.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvuEfV1tLPi_QLoA2HZKri_F4fsrHWsUvS7pdLL4js4cbYV1mOueipXj47wwZZhdDAr27HDK0uyxXih1cuYopCdSuSgjxkNgPsVUIQkX3mur4ic5PXNCkhTVkh78ZaeAznD6XvGlcalbA/s320/IMG_5351.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402496013794074690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHczp_H9DicqWSKvKEUyZttHjBO2J_koNBTBVRZjBNnaKWtT3uJ9_JIQ0a0FQpqxZSeJ8mBlen2898TaWPA67RY1AXaLGkxkfwkrJHbr-VKGqLRz3yRWGB0SrYh3Pq3tQRfkDmsbgjyKRn/s1600-h/IMG_5296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHczp_H9DicqWSKvKEUyZttHjBO2J_koNBTBVRZjBNnaKWtT3uJ9_JIQ0a0FQpqxZSeJ8mBlen2898TaWPA67RY1AXaLGkxkfwkrJHbr-VKGqLRz3yRWGB0SrYh3Pq3tQRfkDmsbgjyKRn/s320/IMG_5296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402497775522849394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Coat & Top: Zara<br />Jeans : New Yorker</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Awesome yellow heels: 1 und 1<br />Scarf: Vero Moda</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIiVFILFmihsbc6ov8QG4V3UbH83QGpNtC2BVNEAxczwvG6JmCH8rW0QQKfB3PTHXTNHLGUBvGbnyihrMmoT75pLk2BFV6JxYaIwARg78MxmaeFQSZWsD08mPWYwcr4nF5V6tx49lzkLn/s1600-h/IMG_5553.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIiVFILFmihsbc6ov8QG4V3UbH83QGpNtC2BVNEAxczwvG6JmCH8rW0QQKfB3PTHXTNHLGUBvGbnyihrMmoT75pLk2BFV6JxYaIwARg78MxmaeFQSZWsD08mPWYwcr4nF5V6tx49lzkLn/s320/IMG_5553.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402497878459985714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ur6CiiDbcD5CrS6XDB-8AxdvRVeCh4aPBMdK-9vFy6UlHiO1lDhAxrJVgXLzph-Fak9xmVWfyB6gjkkDHuGf4S2I5E3fyDQSI1hS88jdCdDyNi0ieEh7yB5Pk5NJ0x7gjDOrsPtPMP5P/s1600-h/IMG_5516.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ur6CiiDbcD5CrS6XDB-8AxdvRVeCh4aPBMdK-9vFy6UlHiO1lDhAxrJVgXLzph-Fak9xmVWfyB6gjkkDHuGf4S2I5E3fyDQSI1hS88jdCdDyNi0ieEh7yB5Pk5NJ0x7gjDOrsPtPMP5P/s320/IMG_5516.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402497573378054882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Dress: Who Killed Bambi</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Coat: SkunkFunk<br />Belt and seashell bracelet: Vintage<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutcCMVgMDOPZ-K6H9uEzV7mqC59bAiB0ulAvbuFXtifxBcbxtyLiyDYUb6jQzHRdEr7QYnQWeXgOxMaeyUMNUOoaZdNJWx4iMgM1mQi9_8He29J0-MUXmAtTKvkvJF-Un4US3Ni9pkqfp/s1600-h/IMG_5479_gb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutcCMVgMDOPZ-K6H9uEzV7mqC59bAiB0ulAvbuFXtifxBcbxtyLiyDYUb6jQzHRdEr7QYnQWeXgOxMaeyUMNUOoaZdNJWx4iMgM1mQi9_8He29J0-MUXmAtTKvkvJF-Un4US3Ni9pkqfp/s320/IMG_5479_gb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402499628903353650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXE7OqFlmKyQH8wPMGNlDnKKgUFtXgSpp_sBHv2Yhl7EUM2BpbcozNhmwBk3zogMKuVn_1CMGb0_BxjQHeixJj5yy23-3dkX6zqClHdYcQ0O3UvCrwPq9abFxSlS0MhQSOLaBOTpbSpjE/s1600-h/IMG_5475_gb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXE7OqFlmKyQH8wPMGNlDnKKgUFtXgSpp_sBHv2Yhl7EUM2BpbcozNhmwBk3zogMKuVn_1CMGb0_BxjQHeixJj5yy23-3dkX6zqClHdYcQ0O3UvCrwPq9abFxSlS0MhQSOLaBOTpbSpjE/s320/IMG_5475_gb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402499867410450786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbkWwsBfWs0EiVwD9WxOwx6r_yguaCoQK5EuuF5byIWFjJFtlcZIHwzRYL8pxiv2AG1K5HP7qmhWB-6cEh0NYV_Rg4YSrBQA9Qj6C6S4fRCSBK8sLzJQF4VN6GfqDLi6sUl4_INi63jv0/s1600-h/IMG_5481_gb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbkWwsBfWs0EiVwD9WxOwx6r_yguaCoQK5EuuF5byIWFjJFtlcZIHwzRYL8pxiv2AG1K5HP7qmhWB-6cEh0NYV_Rg4YSrBQA9Qj6C6S4fRCSBK8sLzJQF4VN6GfqDLi6sUl4_INi63jv0/s320/IMG_5481_gb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402500031311939666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Dress: Zara</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Also, the thing that I'm holding in the second last picture is not what you think it is, but it's my attempt at rolling a cigarette for the curling smoke effect. I think it worked out quite nicely.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-37987203996091271332009-10-30T17:20:00.003+01:002009-10-30T17:57:58.466+01:00Frankfurt, Finally ...So I did it! I actually moved away from my favorite city in the entire world, Berlin. Geez. I'm homesick and all, but at the same time I feel that I am just getting started on a very exciting part of my life. Great plans are being conceived as I type, most of them containing some serious party-going or party-throwing.<br />To me, being the pampered metropolisian that I am, Frankfurt with its tiny population of 664000 seems like a village with a dramatically small number of cool places to go out for drinks and/or dancing. My two objectives right now are to go and find the very well-hidden "underground" scene and to grace this town with an all-new attraction straight from the capital. In order to do the latter I need to know the prospective audience, so I will indulge in Frankfurt's nightlife for research reasons only. Hehe. Right...<br /><br />The last month I spent finding a new job and moving houses and generally figuring out where's what in this city. Now I'm ready for action again and I can't wait to get going with the aforementioned spectacular party I'm planning - so stay tuned because the O.R.B is where you'll find the news first!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-47989698649841664762009-09-11T21:22:00.002+02:002009-09-11T21:35:53.649+02:00More Drama in Belle's HouseMy boiler broke and spilled its murky watery guts all over my bathroom. As long as I have plumbers and construction workers and electricians here, I honestly can't be bothered to blog.<br /><br />I have a question for you though:<br /><br />I signed my insurance contract literally <span style="font-style: italic;">the day before</span> the boiler broke down - is that good or bad karma in action?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_tkL-no-eVXQNJxYFBCt3YvbHzVCoBNG1jTs-0Rjb7DKhn2fGeF35_FiLbV55CW6qwKbpwVLOkyjYGMaX0peGOInInqfPEptNswMEaWuk5g1w41ZvA1857QCExcyszDd4-7V_nwZm8DB/s1600-h/karma+police.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_tkL-no-eVXQNJxYFBCt3YvbHzVCoBNG1jTs-0Rjb7DKhn2fGeF35_FiLbV55CW6qwKbpwVLOkyjYGMaX0peGOInInqfPEptNswMEaWuk5g1w41ZvA1857QCExcyszDd4-7V_nwZm8DB/s320/karma+police.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380295840966011458" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-8825449950420949702009-09-08T21:32:00.003+02:002009-09-08T21:44:42.804+02:00Somewhat Ghetto, But Very Useful<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Tadaaa !!!</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-XENC5ReywsZCNB4hKp7fHuUK6crqbDaO0p-6O2BGpPM3hqPT0av1QAVndy547hblR3Cnar1oE4x9-6qP_rW3Vq3LxfQFio5KfxXhhM2UAI8Gis0gxpGMHpSrkJsAiZSxtoxeE92dU77/s1600-h/IMGP1139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-XENC5ReywsZCNB4hKp7fHuUK6crqbDaO0p-6O2BGpPM3hqPT0av1QAVndy547hblR3Cnar1oE4x9-6qP_rW3Vq3LxfQFio5KfxXhhM2UAI8Gis0gxpGMHpSrkJsAiZSxtoxeE92dU77/s320/IMGP1139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379182713468799458" border="0" /></a><br />This is the ultimate summer accesoire for your balcony: a table that costs you nothing (you actually get a refund for the crates) it's light and sturdy and, okay, tiny ... ;)<br /><br />In desperate need for a table I came up with this little piece of sleek design. These beer crates also served as table legs when we had <a href="http://royabelle.blogspot.com/2009/08/dont-go-to-party.html">our little barbecue</a>. It's not pretty but much better than buying a tiny table for 50+ bucks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-83233568994320480092009-09-05T17:50:00.003+02:002009-09-05T18:09:40.744+02:00Cash Jar UpdateWhenever I want/need to save some serious money, this is how I do it: I open a second bank account of which I don't <strong>ever</strong> have the creditcard on me. I only have one card in my wallet, and that belongs to the account on which my "regular" money sits. Whenever I feel that I have some extra dough on my regular accout, you know, money that I don't need desperately to survive this month, I transfer it to the savings account. The money on that account is untouchable to me, so sometimes I actually forget I still have it at all. That's a good thing, because I just know that I'd spend it straight away if it was all too easy.<br /><br />At the end of last month I had 200€ "left over". However, I have only transferred half of that money to my savings account, because moving houses and partying before ist going to be somewhat more expensive than usual. You have to be realistic about these things.<br /><br />Ok, apart from that, I spontaneously decided to spend this weekend in Frankfurt - see y'all on monday and have a great weekend :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-35544347665595260812009-09-03T19:30:00.000+02:002009-09-03T19:31:13.360+02:00Weekly Shoe - Slightly BelatedFirst off, here's what <a href="http://www.shoeperwoman.com/">The Shoeper Woman </a>rightfully entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">shoe porn</span> :<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE5_GPI6ZtzMt9EyMcYP6LzjjRDb_YntQ9UtRJTNT4fdi7dTx4HZ7XcVCuxVp_buqz5b2wYWtu75CmOgsAbiPjf4uFXQgiO0glgv5rrfpdJOUlRRVrEjzU4zpIXIfHOxtkVsb0jquJ5fH/s1600-h/feticha+bl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE5_GPI6ZtzMt9EyMcYP6LzjjRDb_YntQ9UtRJTNT4fdi7dTx4HZ7XcVCuxVp_buqz5b2wYWtu75CmOgsAbiPjf4uFXQgiO0glgv5rrfpdJOUlRRVrEjzU4zpIXIfHOxtkVsb0jquJ5fH/s320/feticha+bl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372131598789492226" border="0" /></a>Giving you something to drool over as you wonder how to charm your bank manager into giving you another moderate loan of 500€ or so for the incredible Louboutin <span style="font-style: italic;">Feticha</span>. Yes, that's right. Feticha. They're available in red and snake skin (yuk!) too, but the black ones ... *sigh*...<br /><br />So this week I want to share some shoe-related linky goodness - here are the blogs I follow, more or less:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/">Sea of Shoes</a> (as if anybody didn't know her by now...)</li><li><a href="http://weareallshoeaddicts.blogspot.com/">Shoe Asylum</a> (Yes, we all are shoe addicts!)<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.agirlsguidetoshoes.blogspot.com/">A Girl's Guide to Shoes</a><br /> </span></li><li><a href="http://shoeminx.com/">Shoeminx</a> (She's mean and she's harsh at times ... but I love people who dare to be honest and still make you laugh out loud)</li><li>The <a href="http://www.shoebunny.com/">Shoebunny</a> (with a <span style="font-style: italic;">huge</span> list of links to designers and online shoe shops!)</li></ul> And I adore the Shoeper Woman and all the other <a href="http://www.midas-media.com/">Midas Media blogs</a>. But that's really not so surprising, I guess :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-2748836764516576182009-09-02T15:08:00.012+02:002009-09-02T20:06:21.452+02:00An Unusual Photoshoot<div>Yesterday, it was time for me to find out just where exactly my comfort zone ends and awkwardness and the discomfortzone begin.<br /><br /></div><div>I know what you're thinking now - and you're right ;) I had a nude shoot, with the fantastic <a href="http://www.joschwab.com/">Jo Schwab</a>. As you can imagine, I was incredibly nervous about it beforehand. What would my boyfriend think? And wouldn't it feel very very wrong to be naked around another man, even though he's a pro and has seen dozens of naked models? How would I feel about presenting my body if I can't hide any flaws under my clothes? On and on I worried, but decided to not chicken out (I considered that for a while) and go through with it. </div><br /><div>And guess what? <em>It was so much fun!</em></div><div>But don't get your hopes up, boys, the pictures are for the lion and myself to see, and nobody else ;)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIkHH87al7AoNr8MgrNDf1vwaX4oT4e2iBL4bxsT1VyxMYS5OZLNBkuaA-XyFfUBwyrnxDUFiVfEIAvGGkluFJ0sSyEiUMP74d8xO-MUNRpGM-1iTlei1f3KDe6zLnfrlBjAf5QgSekv_/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIkHH87al7AoNr8MgrNDf1vwaX4oT4e2iBL4bxsT1VyxMYS5OZLNBkuaA-XyFfUBwyrnxDUFiVfEIAvGGkluFJ0sSyEiUMP74d8xO-MUNRpGM-1iTlei1f3KDe6zLnfrlBjAf5QgSekv_/s320/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376932536973278466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Ingo Matthes</span><br /><p style="font-weight: bold;">Here's a few things you may want to consider if you ever think about doing a shoot like this:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul><li>Talk to your significant other. If he/she has a serious problem with it, you have three options: You don't do it, and forget about it. Or you do it anyways but that shows serious disrespect for your partner. I don't recommend doing that! Or you take him/her along to the photoshoot. This could be a fun and exciting experience for both of you! </li><br /><li>Find a photographer you trust. And even if you'd trust that person with your life, make a contract that specifies <em>exactly</em> where the pictures may be published (if at all), the financial aspect, etc. For more info on what a modelling contract should cover, check <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.modelmayhem.com">modelmayhem</a>'s forum or ask people who have experience in the business.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>If you bring lingerie for the shoot, don't buy the cheap stuff because "it's just for one picture". <span style="font-style: italic;">You want to take pictures that you can be proud of for a long time</span> and if your outfit is in poor taste, doesn't fit well or doesn't look good for any other reason, you are probably not going to like the picture. Make sure the details are perfect and you feel good about yourself. If that means you have to splurge and buy expensive lingerie because you feel divine in <em>this exact outfit</em> and nothing else, so be it. It's all for the art ;)</li><br /><li>Before the shoot, practise posing in front of the mirror. That way you have an idea what a pose is going to look like and how much you show (or not). Work on your facial expression - the boomchickawaawaa lies in the eyes more than anything ;)</li><br /><li>On the day of the shoot, take as much time as you need beforehand to do your hair, apply make-up and get dressed. I like to go to the hairdresser just before a shoot, so I can at least trust my hair to be perfect. You can also get your nails and make-up done by professionals - anything goes as long as you feel gorgeous and pampered by the time you meet your photographer!</li><br /><li>Talk about the poses and angles that you want to shoot with your photographer. Always keep in mind that if you don't feel comfortable with something, you have to tell him and, if need be, abort the entire shoot. That's always an option! </li><br /><li>DON'T drink before or during the shoot. Not even a glass of champagne because you're nervous. It's not going to do your look or posing any good. Really. </li><br /><li>If you feel awkward, you can try to imagine you're in an entirely different situation... or you're somebody else. Picture yourself in a role that has nothing to do with you, because in your head, you can be anybody you like - a raunchy burlesque dancer, a naughty schoolgirl, whatever. I'm sure you can come up with more exciting things than that! :)</li></ul><p> </p><br /><p>It took a lot of guts, but I'm happy things went really well and easy yesterday. I realize that nude shoots are not for everybody, but in my case, it was a real confidence booster!<br /></p><p>What do you think? Maybe you have some more great advice for delicate shoots? :)<br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-5144924934317734072009-08-30T18:19:00.008+02:002009-08-31T00:29:21.423+02:00Birthday BashLast night, the girls and I had a reason to party! My girl Fabulosita turned 24 and of course we had to go out on the town. As usual, getting all dolled up in the evening before hitting the clubs was the best part of the night!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpazbrb8kC48i-PRSUHoXfcWJdN1eoTVGz2tItgZWHbyF_5JG6hL48nAqjwQ-HS76no6GMMoKNNQxRRBcQmDSJKaGv7ZappszsPtd7o4Pu4Z1mdJpsGga-uoSrmBqAS6ihSJnoa2ILgC1/s1600-h/birthday1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpazbrb8kC48i-PRSUHoXfcWJdN1eoTVGz2tItgZWHbyF_5JG6hL48nAqjwQ-HS76no6GMMoKNNQxRRBcQmDSJKaGv7ZappszsPtd7o4Pu4Z1mdJpsGga-uoSrmBqAS6ihSJnoa2ILgC1/s320/birthday1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375867545528076994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The Birthday Princess, rocking the tiara. I still haven't figured out why she refused to wear it in public ... ;)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqgqOOPSrmItQOsNx1Bt_upwapQ-Yo1rPAdDM5ScIUmAMq5F9ZnyhuJPTkNlAkmAvKw1qGTBwH3QtRRMgCpuvkm65dwC6Wv0Fd539nwSNcQNJyRWeqzOc0_BhdVnNYkMBJVOGCb9W2cU_/s1600-h/birthday2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqgqOOPSrmItQOsNx1Bt_upwapQ-Yo1rPAdDM5ScIUmAMq5F9ZnyhuJPTkNlAkmAvKw1qGTBwH3QtRRMgCpuvkm65dwC6Wv0Fd539nwSNcQNJyRWeqzOc0_BhdVnNYkMBJVOGCb9W2cU_/s320/birthday2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375868593612486978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />The bathroom was a mess by the time we were done but that's to be expected. </span><br /><br />While getting dressed, swapping shoes (!) and applying make-up, we sipped martini and champagne. Nothing gets you in a better party-mood than sweet, bubbly drinks! I made heart-shaped cherry muffins instead of a cake, because they are lighter and easier to eat while doing something else. I felt that sitting down around a table, using knife and fork and all the rest of it would have killed our gleeful, bubbly mood.<br /><br />We headed for the Bar 25 first. Of course we knew it would be packed to the max because yesterday was to be the last night it was open. The last night EVER. The Bar is legendary here, so we expected there to be a long queue. Upon arriving at about 1 a.m. we waited for a little over half an hour. Mind you, I'd never wait that long for any other club, but with the circumstances being as they were, nobody dared complain.<br /><br />And then the unthinkable happened: <span style="font-style: italic;">The doorpicker refused us. </span><br />Phew. I still haven't figured out what exactly the problem was. Three girls, all dressed up to the nines and, yes, tipsy, but far from being completly drunk. I daresay the problem was on HER side, meaning the bitchy doorpicker. It's called jealousy. Meow! I was an angry cat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tiKQ-bVELqKvlw7vdo3cFSEegw9JIJJORsT9To5FB686vmH6ipk2g_up7rbdSjTeZlra_F1mOxD7iUHYpXqbxe5l1kDjGL0b5aKkkMDlDDKvGRUv5fap8JOCEoCbtJL0sWv-SZgTnLsy/s1600-h/angry+cat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tiKQ-bVELqKvlw7vdo3cFSEegw9JIJJORsT9To5FB686vmH6ipk2g_up7rbdSjTeZlra_F1mOxD7iUHYpXqbxe5l1kDjGL0b5aKkkMDlDDKvGRUv5fap8JOCEoCbtJL0sWv-SZgTnLsy/s320/angry+cat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375873780477106594" border="0" /></a>I have never been refused at any club before and mark my words, it's not going to happen again. At the same time, I find it important to make an elegant exit in a situation like this so we didn't argue (that's not going to make any difference, because doorpickers would undermine their own authority if they ever changed their mind about anybody! All you're going to get for arguing at a door is pitying looks from the other people walking in past you.) So we decided to take a cab to the <a href="http://www.cookies.ch/">Cookies</a>, our birthday child's choice.<br /><br />No queue awaited us there, but the club was jam-packed with hot guys! We had finally arrived in paradise!<br />Or so we thought - until we realized that we'd accidentally stumbled on a gay party! :) Maybe we shoud've done some more research beforehand, but heck, we'd paid the cover and we weren't going ANYWHERE soon. Right when we arrived we saw the last little bits of a burlesque show, which honestly didn't make much sense to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGtUaMd3t1trfPlMh5yUrYAw0pyUcEhxGCwMYxNab14B2vtY_Rgo0RcnvvZrr8SaulByoU-mXNj873FquC5rf_BtDg8J7rTzYAZjorH00bccp5RpeRY0kafMyJOudYy8t0D81d2q6GDh8/s1600-h/IMGP1181.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGtUaMd3t1trfPlMh5yUrYAw0pyUcEhxGCwMYxNab14B2vtY_Rgo0RcnvvZrr8SaulByoU-mXNj873FquC5rf_BtDg8J7rTzYAZjorH00bccp5RpeRY0kafMyJOudYy8t0D81d2q6GDh8/s320/IMGP1181.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375876404045066434" border="0" /></a><br />Why would they book <span style="font-style: italic;">girls</span> (gorgeous as they were...) on an event like this? You could tell by the looks on the other partygoers' faces that they weren't quite sure either.<br /><br />We ran into <a href="http://www.zoe-delay.de/">Zoe Delay</a>, Sheila Wolf and Janka Kroft, who looked spectacular as always. I believe Sheila was involved in the burlesque performances, but you would have to read up on that on her <a href="http://www.sheila-wolf.de/">blog.</a><br /><br />In any case, we had another round of drinks, danced a little, and had a great time... you gotta make the best out of situations, unexpected as they may be. Never allow people with a negative attitude (like that doorpicker) to drag you down.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PWIfyV-FU8NiMRkuBTFv_1w2pWQpudKSdjmlNrybGOjAziY2nQq4M87nxbniIi9j7Kvu83hpi3wCkRJkqqpMYHuqT_jnxQoSvbiaF2Cu_bhih5253JDkNerjJSVPQPTZXORNmlwci1Dy/s1600-h/IMGP1183.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PWIfyV-FU8NiMRkuBTFv_1w2pWQpudKSdjmlNrybGOjAziY2nQq4M87nxbniIi9j7Kvu83hpi3wCkRJkqqpMYHuqT_jnxQoSvbiaF2Cu_bhih5253JDkNerjJSVPQPTZXORNmlwci1Dy/s320/IMGP1183.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375880243688554738" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-36890960947499960202009-08-28T18:39:00.004+02:002009-08-28T19:12:10.464+02:00The O.R.B Moves On !On to Frankfurt, that is. Moving cities is a pretty big deal for me, because I feel so very at home in Berlin. I've been born here, spent my childhood here, and the better part of my "grown-up" life. I have put a lot of work into the appartment I live in right now, and it hurts to leave the place I built for myself, and only for myself.<br /><br />Not to speak of friends, family ... heck, I'm sure I'll even miss my bitchy frenemies :)<br /><br />But times change, and I am no longer on my own, which is a great thing too. Myself and the lion are moving in together and I am very VERY excited about that! I have even quit my job to move to Frankfurt as soon as I can. Quitting a job I've been working in for over three years was a bitch, by the way, and one of the reasons I neglected my blog so badly. I have been told that I "throw away my life for a guy" and I realize, that's probably what it would look like to a stranger. But I don't see me quitting my job in favor of a life with my man as a weakness. It's not like I'll be unemployed in Frankfurt and live off the lion's money, but quite the opposite - I'll have to work harder than ever!<br /><br />I will have to be very strong to do all the things that lie ahead now: Standing up for myself at work for another month (having to work another 4 weeks after quitting can put you in the most awkward positions...) , moving houses, moving cities, do the respective paperwork, organize a HUGE good-bye-bash, get the job I <em>want</em>, not just any job in Frankfurt, help my brother move houses, sell my junk at the fleamarket so I don't have to carry it all the way to Hesse... oh, and did I mention I'm working full-time while I do all the above...?<br /><br />So you see, I'm not running away from commitments. I just realized that I <em>really</em> want to commit myself to something else. I want to use my energy to turn my life into what I want it to be instead of wasting it on a somewhat tedious job. Also, all the time and energy (not to speak of the money) that myself and my boyfriend "wasted" on sustaining a long-distance-relationship we can now put into creating a life together, maybe even a future together ... but I digress :)<br /><br />...<br /><br /><br />Here's what I really wanted to write today: The O.R.B. will be back in action from now, and I promise not to take such long breaks anymore. Unless I have a really damn good reason.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-30353267959594239352009-08-17T22:52:00.006+02:002009-08-18T21:51:51.811+02:00Don't go to the Party...<span style="font-weight: bold;">... let the Party come to you!</span><br /><br />Oh yes. I know that organizing a party is a lot a work and stress. Here's how to simplify things, have almost zero preparations and actually enjoy your own party :)<br /><br />First of all, think about one thing: how well do you know your neighbors? Well? Not at all? Never even seen them? As far as I was concerned, I didn't know my neighbors well enough - after 2 (two!) years of living in this house, I couldn't even tell if that person I met on the stairs actually lived here or was just a visitor. I wanted to change that situation, and have a party in the little garden I share with my neighbors.<br />The preparation was so simple, I was amazed it never occurred to me before: All I had to do was hang a poster next to the house door, suggesting a barbecue on a certain date. I attached a pen to the poster so people could comment on the idea and lo and behold - everybody seemed to love it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4Edr5Om5HDI8rpKTZAm9NSfLnECsCRT3GzQsyPtJhqh3Xe4kVaaQQIbQlgrHmjd-vFa0Yrk0zwu1TclKnlcb1KWZdswoGZKCcXSwex0JtpjBphhO9uIq_ETYzJ15pMlIcHVbHcf2woqq/s1600-h/poster.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4Edr5Om5HDI8rpKTZAm9NSfLnECsCRT3GzQsyPtJhqh3Xe4kVaaQQIbQlgrHmjd-vFa0Yrk0zwu1TclKnlcb1KWZdswoGZKCcXSwex0JtpjBphhO9uIq_ETYzJ15pMlIcHVbHcf2woqq/s320/poster.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371391073099529042" border="0" /></a><br />I hung it on a glass door, so the pretty backside of the poster was visible too. You gotta know how to attract attention, and a picture of a beautiful woman ALWAYS seems to help :)<br /><br />On the actual day of our barbecue, all I had to do was set up the grill, a table and chairs. I also made two salads, brought some baguettes and dips. The lion insisted on making burgers and ribs, ah well, I suppose that's what you do on a barbecue - I didn't eat any of that, being a vegetarian and all ... ;)<br /><br />Then, with only minutes to go til the party was supposed to get started, I had a major panic attac, including the obligatory whining that "nobody's going to show up and I just made such a fool of myself, what a stupid idea to begin with, boo-hoo!" ... you get the picture. Not to worry though, I get a minute of doubt like this before EVERY party I organize.<br /><br />But of course, my neighbors did turn up. We actually had to set up another table and bring more plates and glasses, because so many of them came! They all brought a little bit of food or drink, so everybody was well fed and watered. The kids played soccer and the babies got to play in the sand, while the grown-ups finally got to know each other. Two guys realized that they had made friends years ago on a camping trip, then lost touch, and have now been living in the same building for three years without ever noticing each other!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9h0FYUDGOgf_Iv-fp6qaBOCp3Y60SBa2tNJQvKtSV776PBPeVoP9I-_vycE2Ox7ktD2V0Lvwn5lvqCPY7t8d4bPOJtxiE8rrFBw5Jxna3LzZjS9bvVYWeoUDyZUvr50rj3n497H5T-Zh/s1600-h/IMGP1129.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9h0FYUDGOgf_Iv-fp6qaBOCp3Y60SBa2tNJQvKtSV776PBPeVoP9I-_vycE2Ox7ktD2V0Lvwn5lvqCPY7t8d4bPOJtxiE8rrFBw5Jxna3LzZjS9bvVYWeoUDyZUvr50rj3n497H5T-Zh/s320/IMGP1129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371392553225775202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">I'm not the best of photographers, can you tell?<br /><br /></span>I was very lucky that one of the guys is a event technician and had all sorts of fancy lights and music equipment, and one girl decorated the garden with a lovely garland! There was one very sweet older couple, too, who brought some amazing wine and lit up the place with flowers and candles!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ocDC-iSFDZj-2STL0jGCEwXPAN_jOLz4qhnoI3hA_zmhuWr7c5kQxmLeNvUZXQqlX0O0sHkfhJsJ2Y__PQEXyopG5dn_mq8k9WhTn2Dgaie0Ksf-e-25lPAOw5coZ-_rx9SZXC04UfVM/s1600-h/IMGP1135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ocDC-iSFDZj-2STL0jGCEwXPAN_jOLz4qhnoI3hA_zmhuWr7c5kQxmLeNvUZXQqlX0O0sHkfhJsJ2Y__PQEXyopG5dn_mq8k9WhTn2Dgaie0Ksf-e-25lPAOw5coZ-_rx9SZXC04UfVM/s320/IMGP1135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371393211418820546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>The guys are giving the camera their smartest looks.</span><br /><br />In the end, everybody did a little bit of the work, so organizing the party didn't feel like much of a hassle at all. Try it, you might be amazed by the great people living so close to you! Me and my neighbors partied till 3 in the morning ...<br /><br />By the way, we decided to install a blackboard in the hallway so we can stay in touch more easily. And all that it took was <span style="font-style: italic;">a simple handwritten poster</span> to get all of that started! Yay!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-18558227931147621652009-08-14T18:32:00.002+02:002009-08-14T19:20:11.292+02:00Free Dinner @Traube, BerlinYesterday, one of my good friends surprised me with a visit at work, and asked me to come and visit him at his workplace in return. Hm, what a strange request, I thought, but not to worry, I'd be there right after I'd finished my shift.<br /><br />When I turned up at the <a href="http://www.traube-berlin.de/">Traube</a> in the evening, I was in awe - it is a wonderfully luxurious, very chic place where you run into the rich and important ones - mostly politicians and bankers, but apparently people like Bob Geldof eat there, too. Or so I was told by the Maître. Anyways, as soon as I arrived, I was led to my table under the tree in the yard and brought a glass of lovely crémant rosé. Wow. A few minutes later, my friend came out of the kitchen - he had arranged for me to get the VIP-treatment. That included a waitress hovering in the background, waiting to refill my glass or take care of any other wish I might have. You won't believe how silly and important you feel (at the same time) when you stumble into that kind of situation unprepared, like me. I enjoyed every second of it, though :)<br /><br />I especially enjoyed the dinner I was served by the Chef de Cuisine personally (!). He sat down with me (!!) and told me that he is very new to the restaurant and ever since he started to run the kitchen, he raised the standards of food and drinks steadily. I can only say that the food must have been superb even before he started, and was stunningly delicious yesterday. In fact, it was so good that I had to stop talking because I wanted to concentrate on the party in my tastebuds. That's great praise, believe me.<br /><br />Now, two facts that make this great evening at the Traube worth a mention on the O.R.B.<br /><ul><li>The prices are just as mindboggling as the cuisine, so if you're on a tight budget but don't want to miss out: Go there for lunch, the "Business Lunch" is great at only 9,90€. That's still expensive by Berlin standards, but heck, it's worth it.</li><li>This sort of surprise is one good reason to ALWAYS look your best. I didn't expect to spend the evening with the rich and famous, but if I may say so, I was dressed impeccably anyways. A bright blue silk wrap dress and matching heels suited the occasion nicely - but I would have felt terribly out-of-place in worn-out jeans and a t-shirt. So make sure you're prepared for any surprise - by looking your best at all times. </li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058744473600012445.post-35025310197350512992009-08-12T22:58:00.007+02:002009-08-12T23:54:09.471+02:00Weekly Shoe: The Pimped-Out PumpsI promised I'd show you my precious new pumps, and finally, here they are:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzvqWvR4fa_l0Z1kcmpkA_mPqs7aYd8fOPvvnZQvyGjr-8HWwfDGho7AJVIcRFpyr0XHtKFbwNw62yyypi_RVnsCL4dsGbEYRWkN8E7HLS59Y7dR84U19PgvlxUEsw4Ysk-cPesbnrdIm/s1600-h/IMGP1111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzvqWvR4fa_l0Z1kcmpkA_mPqs7aYd8fOPvvnZQvyGjr-8HWwfDGho7AJVIcRFpyr0XHtKFbwNw62yyypi_RVnsCL4dsGbEYRWkN8E7HLS59Y7dR84U19PgvlxUEsw4Ysk-cPesbnrdIm/s320/IMGP1111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369198473697070594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTiDXl-qIn5rDcRvKEPmMwhKfpa1jIl1MnDvHleo1HPNcAFQ2sCROGIAlF8Dq4P0AjhIZBBje1fvhsOwTgh44JD_D4rAw7wjLli_dqLO5EmB1INjujyzPkjW73gt1GDrCfOcybeJFk3Zq/s1600-h/IMGP1113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTiDXl-qIn5rDcRvKEPmMwhKfpa1jIl1MnDvHleo1HPNcAFQ2sCROGIAlF8Dq4P0AjhIZBBje1fvhsOwTgh44JD_D4rAw7wjLli_dqLO5EmB1INjujyzPkjW73gt1GDrCfOcybeJFk3Zq/s320/IMGP1113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369198574418752450" border="0" /></a><br />The actual shoes I bought for circa 17€ at my local Turkish market (I get a discount for being a regular customer and I don't care if that's cheap! :) ) . Then I invested in 4€ worth of sequins and a 1,50€ container of glittery little beads. They are pale pink with an incredible gold and light blue sheen, depending on the light. The octopuses were 75 c each at the local toy store, and the gold paint is still the same that I used for the brooch and the animals on the jam jars.<br />Now all you need is a few hours of time, thread, a needle and a thimble.<br /><br />If you want to recreate a look like this, here's what you do:<br /><ul><li>Buy pumps with open toes! Peep-toes are a LOT easier to work with! Trust me.<br /></li><li>Paint the animals in question, and let them dry. Set with a layer of clear paint.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtWI7cDyxu9V8QJNyem4JjvaxoZyH6HWTmCjpQrVUFe3LBr4RMd4zGL9Z6mcZEH1bzq9ihF6yfhbmy4GxEaP6rP03JfNYQryswnI1eOFrE6vsC5dbFlJL68e_gw3jHW-nQKzgD-r_9xqF/s1600-h/IMGP1007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtWI7cDyxu9V8QJNyem4JjvaxoZyH6HWTmCjpQrVUFe3LBr4RMd4zGL9Z6mcZEH1bzq9ihF6yfhbmy4GxEaP6rP03JfNYQryswnI1eOFrE6vsC5dbFlJL68e_gw3jHW-nQKzgD-r_9xqF/s320/IMGP1007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369198798627526210" border="0" /></a></li><li>Put on the shoe, and try out where you want to put the octopus (or whatever else you may want to sit on your shoes), making sure they aren't uncomfy when worn. Glue in place, and take off the shoes again.</li><li>Then secure the decoration with a matching thread.</li><li>Start applying the sequins and beads around the center. This is the hardest part, so if you start here, you're done with it all the sooner :) </li><li>Make small stitches, one per sequin/bead. Be careful not to tangle the thread - it's a nuisance to untie a knot inside a shoe !!!</li><li>When finished with one length of thread, tie the knot on the outside of the shoe and hide it under the next sequin you apply. That's much easier than making a knot inside a shoe.</li><li>First finish ONE shoe to perfection. Having a prototype that you can copy is easier than starting from scatch - you'll know what I mean by that once you're there :)</li><li>Just for your information: I used about twice as many golden sequins as I used pink ones. Otherwise I think they might have turned out too pink. The uneven look is also created on purpose by applying a few of the sequins upside-down.<br /></li><li>Now the insides of your shoes are covered in little stitches and pieces of thread (no knots though, hopefully), you can cover them in a thin extra layer of leather or faux leather for more comfort. Ask your local shoemaker or tailor for scraps and leftovers.</li></ul>Wear with pride. And don't be irritated by the jealous stares you are bound to receive ;)<br /><br />I can't wait to shoot these and finally have proper pics of the whole outfit! Yay!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0