A Fine Frenzy

I have seen many concerts since I came to Dublin. Some of them were good, some of them amazing and all of them mostly indie rock. On Monday, I read in a Tweet (Twitter-Message) from Allison Sudol of "A Fine Frenzy" that they are coming to Dublin - and I was lucky enough to still get two of the incredibly cheap tickets.

So I took the charming Betty to this concert in the Button Factory, a very nice venue that seems to be made for concerts that are a little more intimate and with a personal connection between the artist and the audience.

And Allison and her guitar player definitely lived up to my expectations. Apart from her outstanding voice, she charmed the audience with her natural an unpretentious manner. When her guitar player had problems tuning his guitar she kept the audience entertained with some anecdotes from her trip to Germany ("I pet a pig - an actual pig. And I rode a horse" - all said with the nonchalance of a child) and a spontaneous interpretation of "Fever". Other highlights were a Frank Sinatra cover (see embedded video - still to come as th upload broke up), her biggest hit "Almost Lover" (second video) and a cover of "Ring of Fire"

All in all, Allison didn't only blow us away with her unique voice - as Betty described it: "A mixture between Janis Joplin and Alanis Morissette" but also with her nice personality. She did not come across as a pop star, but more like the nice girl from next door - which made not only me fall in love with her. Betty even went as far as jokingly admitting she would enjoy a threesome with her (ouch, this is the first time I write something non family-safe in my blog :) ). But you will understand what I mean when you listen to the videos. Enjoy!

Some music on a rainy Sunday

As I haven't blogged in a while, I thought I could use the first rainy day in weeks for a short blog post.

I was quite busy the last few weeks with visits from my Mum, my friend Rob (my personal guitar hero) and my cousin. Apart from that, I went on a "school trip" to Cork with around 50 colleagues which was great craic (fun in Irish :)).

Also, I have spent a whole hung-over Saturday in the radio room to record a song together with my talented colleagues Tamas and Kasia. I have uploaded the outcome for you, so you can listen to it if you like. Enjoy the music and I will post more soon.

Here is the link: http://iSendr.com/aEkh

What I did when I was younger

These are some poems I wrote when I was younger. I put those here so I won't lose them. There is one poem I wrote and I particularly liked that I had posted in an online community put can't find - so I will use my blog as a backup. I have to reconstruct them from my memories as I can't find the originals.

Ein Akrostichon

Ich weiß, was ich so an dir schätze:
Charme und Stil; den Ausdruck deiner Sätze.
Heiterkeit und deine Augen

Lassen mich immer daran glauben.
In deiner Nähe bin ich froh.
Es geht mir alle Tage so.
Bei dir find ich mein höchstes Gut.
Ein kleines Lächeln gibt mir Mut.

Denn du bist meine helle Sonne.
Ich fühle mit dir höchste Wonne.
Chancen sind mir ncht gegeben.
Heut will ich trotzdem für dich leben.



Was blieb (25. September 2001)

Auf Hügeln ungezählter Leben
stehen Türme aus purem Hass.
Mann will sich nicht ergeben -
hält Kampf für dunklen Spaß.

-- zweiter Teil fehlt, kann mich nicht erinnern --

Dann - aus dem Sprachrohr Ihrer Pein
steigt auf in Demagogenmanier
ein Mann, er möchte Retter sein,
und ist im Herzen doch ein Tier.

Wer ist das böse, schwarz im Spiel?
Der Weiße gibt sich schlau.
Doch aus Septemberträumen fiel
der ganze Mensch in karges Grau.



Egoistische Problemkinder


Wenn Menschen keine Probleme hätten
Ginge es ihnen nicht etwa gut!
Nein, ich würde sogar wetten,
sie schmölzen dahin vor Wut.

Dann bliebe ihnen kein Grund zum Klagen,
ihr Selbstmitleid wäre Vergangenheit.
Was sie dann täten kann ich nicht sagen,
nur in Gesprächen kämen sie nicht weit.

So bleibt es eine Ironie
und keiner kann`s versteh`n.
Auch ich kann`s nicht: So sagt mir wie
Soll das nur weitergehen?

Ich möchte wissen warum ihr
Nicht einmal fröhlich seid.
Doch kaum habt ihr Probleme hier,
stresst euch das Selbstmitleid.

Nur ein Problem, das habt ihr nicht:
Für euch ist`s leicht zu lachen,
wenn andere in eurer Sicht
sich mal Probleme machen.

1. Oktober 1999


Ohne Titel 1

Der Mensch war in der Wüste, er war auch auf dem Mond,
Und alle Erdenteile sind längst von ihm bewohnt.
Der Mensch erfand Computer, ein großes Datennetz.
Die schwierigsten Probleme, die löst er spielend jetzt.
Er züchtet neue Menschen, er überholt die alten,
er kann das ganze Werk an Genen schon verwalten.
Er ist human und weise, er predigt Menschenrecht,
und dennoch geht’s dem Menschen noch immer ziemlich schlecht.
Er lebt Komfort und Luxus und darin ist er gut.
Und dennoch packt ihn manchmal dann doch dieselbe Wut.
Er tötet wilde Tiere und Wälder holzt er ab,
er schaufelt für die andern ein großes Massengrab.
Er trinkt das Blut der Feinde und tanzt auf ihren Leichen
Und nur um für sich selbst das beste zu erreichen.
Er tötet seine Kinder und alle seine Ahnen,
und alles um sich selbst den Weg zum Ruhm zu bahnen.
Er trinkt nur edle Weine, isst besten Kaviar,
er zahlt den ganzen Luxus dann immer sofort bar.
Das Geld holt er aus Leichen und aus zerstörten Leben,
und alles um sich selbst den letzten Kick zu geben.
Dann stirbt er selber ruhig im Bett, doch zahlt zuvor sein Geld
Als letzte Hoffnung an die Ärzte und Heiler dieser Welt.
So bricht er dann zusammen, ein Tier auf allen Vieren
Und muss nun doch am Ende die „Menschlichkeit“ verlieren.


Ohne Titel 2

Ich definiere mich nicht über Besitz.
Ich definiere mich über mein Handeln.
Ich zerstöre nicht die Welt in der ich sitz.
Ich möchte sie nur verwandeln!

Ich bin weder konservativ, noch gegen das System.
Ich versuche es nur zu optimieren.
Ich mache mir mein Leben nicht zu bequem,
Doch ich will auch den Kampf nicht an Mühlen verlieren!

Ich bin weder für, noch gegen dich.
Du bist mir jedoch nicht egal.
Ich will das Unmögliche, doch ich erwarte es nicht.
Doch Aufgabe steht nicht zur Wahl!

So kämpfe ich einsam und ohne Heer.
Mit aufgeschlossenem Herzen.
Und auf diese Weise erreiche ich mehr,
Als du mit Kampf oder Schmerzen!

Two very different trips to European capitals

Two weeks ago, I have been to London to visit my friend Florian. As I am on a train from Amsterdam to Hamburg now, I thought I might as well combine my two city trip experiences in one blog post. For a little contrast as well as out of laziness.

So let’s start with my impression of London. I had been there before and the typical tourist program was off my list this time. So Florian – who used to work for my beloved employer and is now Marketing Director (love the title ;) ) for a start-up – and I put the weekend under the credo “Clubbing, Shopping and Fine Dining”. As he lives in a fancy area close to the Tower Bridge, we were in a good position to do all of this and even more. So we went to some really nice restaurants, e.g. an Italian called Tentazioni, and of course to some clubs.

Florian’s office is in Shoreditch, which is quite en vogue with young Londoners at the moment and attracts a lot of artists as well as a nice mixture of clubbers and hip people. Apart from that the clubs are affordable and you can have a good night out without the side effect of paying your monthly salary just to get in and drink – as you can in the Westend. Still, Florian and I managed to spend great weekend and a lot of money. A great brunch in Notting Hill, where we spotted the actress that plays Ginnie Weasley in the Harry Potter movies – and a stroll over the Portobello Market made my London experience complete. And as you can see from the pictures I have done at least a little sightseeing.

And now for a place that I haven’t been before. I have never been to the Netherlands, I have never been to Amsterdam and I hadn’t seen Meike, a friend of mine from university, for a while. Three reasons to go to Amsterdam. As I was also able to combine this with seeing our old intern Martin and another friend from school whom I hadn’t seen for seven years, I definitely had enough reasons to go to the Dutch capital. And Amsterdam didn’t disappoint me.

Friday morning we decided to visit Franziska (the friend from school) at Knowmads. This program is a mixture of a start-up and a school where young people share ideas and learn from speakers and each other. We were invited to listen to an interesting speaker too and I had to do a spontaneous 20-minute Q&A session about my job and the big G (like PowerPoint karaoke, but no PowerPoint involved). The discussions with those cool people were really interesting and it was remarkable to see what kind of alternative learning concepts are out there.

Afterwards, we went to see the Grachten, the red light district and central Amsterdam. Meike had borrowed some bikes from her colleagues, so we got the genuine Amsterdam experience. Overall, I really liked Amsterdam and will definitely come back. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. And all this was cheap and cheerful – so quite a contrast to my epicureous escapades in London.

Now, let’s see what my two weeks in Hamburg will bring and I have to say that at the moment I already miss Dublin. Seems that after a year it is slowly finding a way to my heart and I even caught myself calling it “home” lately. And with my cool flat mate, nicest colleagues in the world and the sun (yes, we had some), there is a lot to look forward to. Sorry for the tacky ending.
By the way – I am still open to suggestions for the next few city trips – so comment on this, my Facebook, Twitter or whatever you prefer and I might join you. Junge Leute zum Mitreisen gesucht. ;)

London Bridge at sunrise

From Drop Box

I am...

From Amsterdam

Me and my bike

From Amsterdam

The "Grachten"

From Amsterdam

Meike and me

From Amsterdam

Feels like home...

From Amsterdam

...and the Dutch know that kind of obstacle

From Amsterdam

Meike broadening her horizon in the red light district

From Amsterdam

And there were cultural activities as well

From Amsterdam

Another example why Turkish people are the best

I just got a ping (instant messenger message) from a Turkish colleague of mine that showed me that Turkish people are the most honest and decent people in the world - if that needed any proof.

But I should start at the beginning of this story:
Around three weeks ago I was flying to Hamburg for a business trip. As I was pretty late I took the taxi to the airport. I think there are two kinds of taxi drivers - whose different styles you will particularly notice when you are in the taxi alone: The sphinx-like quiet guy that will only merely "Hello" and tell you the amount on the meter and the talkative guy who's life story you will know after the ride in exchange for your own. Mine that day was the latter.

When I realized his Turkish name, we started a conversation in his mother tongue and he told me he was the only Turkish taxi driver in Dublin ( he wouldn't be in any German city). We had a nice talk and as I had to run to my plane, he asked me to say "Hi" to a Turkish colleague of mine.

Said colleague wrote me the message today and asked me if I knew this taxi driver. I said I did and apologized in the same sentence as I had forgotten to submit the greetings. But that was not why Can had contacted me. The taxi driver had given him five euro to give to me - because I had frogotten to take my change as I ran off to my plane.

Now honestly: Which taxi driver does this? Or even broader: Who is that honest in our modern world. I don't want to attribute this to nationality, religion or profession. i just want to say: Thank you - not for the five euro, but for showing me that there still is honesty in his world.

I would love to blog...

...but I am busy living my life right now.

It is not as if nothing worth blogging happened in my life.

a) I got a new phone for Christmas (yep, the Nexus One) which I could write a review about.

b) I was home for Christmas and New Year's. Have met loads of friends - special tribute to Nicky, Mirjam, Ben, Claudi, Fred and all the guys I have celebrated the new year with here.

c) I had some great nights out, good talks and bad endings.

d) I made some resolutions for 2010. The usual ones. And not all of them made for the public probably. Those I can share and that you are allowed to nag me about are: to learn how to play the guitar, to get in shape again and to live life to the fullest. Good progress on two out of three here.

e) My new flatmate Richard moved in. We get along even better than anyone would have expected. He is a cool guy and I now really enjoy having to share a flat.

I could have blogged about all these things but at the moment, I don't feel like it. And I fear that none of those topics is entertaining enough for you guys, so I will get back to you soon with some creative writing and linking. :)

I wish you all a great 2010 if I haven't done so in person already.

Remember: Life is a beta - so let's try out some crazy new things this year. Am open to ideas and already planned a few short trips in the next month - keep them coming.

WrocLOVE - or beautiful Breslau

As last year was full of travel, this year I had spent all my time in Ireland or Germany so far. Only two countries in one year? I could not stand it – so when my good friend from university, and now colleague, Joachim offered me to visit him and my team lead told me I could work from the Wroclaw (or in German: Breslau) office for a few days, I did not hesitate to book a flight (thank you Ryanair).

I did not know what to expect. My only association with Wroclaw is my grandma, who was born there and spent her childhood in the city. I had always imagined it to be a fairytale small, sleepy town with old houses and good, savoury food. Well the houses were there, the food as well, but it was not as small and sleepy as I had expected.

I learned that the first night on the taxi drive. Ok, the airport is small and not really state of the art, but as soon as you arrive in town, you see the history in every building and as I was welcomed with a bottle of vodka by Joachim and some other colleagues, I already had a good understanding of the savoir-vivre in this vibrant place.

If going to work the first day was hard and I was surprised how productive I was, the second day should hold even more in store for me. After work we headed downtown to the Thursday night karaoke with my dear Wroclaw-colleagues (internally: Wrooglers). At midnight we were already thinking about going home, but then somebody had the idea to head to Wroclaw’s well-known party-place “Manana”. Being used to going out in Dublin, where basically the “clubs” and “bars” are mostly pubs with a dancefloors – sorry to say this, I still like it – I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere in this student bar of choice. The dancefloor is small, the drinks are cheap, the girls are stunningly beautiful. In short: night one was awesome (stay with me on the “How I met your mother”-references).

Surprisingly, work on Friday was pretty productive as well, and soon, the next night had arrived. Actually, Joachim and I wanted to spend the evening with a DVD and some beers at home. That was until we were there, had had some food and did not feel like staying in on a Friday night. So we headed to the Rynek (central place in Wroclaw) and to a club named Tabasco – yet another nice nightclub with a fun atmosphere and a built-in guarantee for a long night. In one word…we were on the way, where Saturday night should top it off: Legen… wait for it…dary!

After this, I had to catch up on the sightseeing part. My grandma’s good old times-stories had painted a picture of Breslau that was yet to be filled with reality. So on a stroll around the old town and a view from the cathedral, I gained my own impression – which was topped off by the picturesque view of the nice Christmas market (reminiscent of the “Nürnberger Christkindlsmarkt”, but much smaller) in front of the Ratusz. A mulled wine to warm us up and traditional grilled goat cheese from the Tatra mountains (Oszypek) made the winter feeling complete. Joachim and I had already sung “Last Christmas” at karaoke – mind you , I hate this song – so now Christmas can come. But first things first: What to do on a Saturday night in a hip Polish city? Yes, we went to another club. And as we had our dear Polish colleague Magda and Dominik, one of my Dublin coworkers and a good Polish-speaker, with us, it should get even more intense.

When we arrived at Joachim’s place, the birds already started to sing – and I am not only talking about his pets. I fell in my bed and had to gain strengths for the last chapter on Sunday: A relaxed stroll around town, good food at a traditional restaurant and an adrenaline rush to top my Wroclaw-experience off: A night at the casino. I am not a huge gambler, so I usually invest some money that I am willing to lose (and think about the free drink you usually get in those temples of amusement) and start playing roulette without too much hope. This night, it should be a little different. I had a lucky day, and after I had doubled my 100 Sloty (around 25 Euro), I took my investment out and started playing like a mad man with the rest. I usually stick with betting on red or black or some combinations, but this time I went the full risk – in the end, I had guessed the right number eight times (what are the odds?) and quadrupled my money. Right time to go and call it a night – so I could even get some nice presents for my grandma “for free” the next day.

In summary this was the best weekend I have had this year and I can not wait to see this great city again – yes, I fell in love with WrocLOVE!

The town house and the Christmas market



View over Wroclaw 1




View over Wroclaw 2



The cathedral



Google in Wroclaw



My host and the old twon