Ich bin....

..... 24!

dry update...

... because without pictures :(

The good news: I've got a new cell phone today. The bad news: This was just necessary because I've destroyed the old one - it was in my bag and the bag crashed against the wheel of my bike... so I went to tha cell phone shop in the mall today and met Dawna, the same blonde barbie-doll- like always smiling salesperson who had sold me my other phone in August. She explained that getting a new cell phone without a new contract is rather expensive and then offered me a variety of wonderful luxurious phones or black- blue- or whatever- berry - devices capable of whatever you want but what I dont need at all - for just $300+. Then after she noticed the intimidated look on my face she finally mentioned there is also a very simple basic phone that looks like a toy for $40. (25 Euro!) Well that's what I've finally taken and she was not very delighted about that I guess. Well, me neither, because it doesn't have a camera, and my new digital camera is broken too... so - that will probably be the revival of my analog camera, that I had brought here just "in case", but never used yet. Jaja, die gute alte Technik, darauf kann man sich halt doch noch verlassen! :)

Moreover Hoffmann - dress-week is coming up, what means rehearsal till 10pm every day. Even Sunday - we have "piano tech rehearsal" from 1-6pm and right now I'm coming from the "Wandelprobe"! How, funny, a German word, that is not used in German theatres any more... (or at least I had enver heard it before)
There are also some other German words, that are "borrowed" and used here all the time: (in addition to Kindergarten and Rucksack) Sitzprobe, Zwischenfach, Heldentenor, "The German Lied", Liederabend, Bratwurst,...

Miami No. 2

My recital is over... So I have time again to upload the...
promised pictures of the last day in Miami!
(Tuesday, March 11)


One of the few times on the beach. (at 8am, before the Chinese group wanted to leave for the main event of the day: Lunch! It's common to order many different dishes together and then everybody takes from every plate.


Than the group left for Tallahassee and Ai and I spent the day in downtown Miami. A mixture of tropical exotic athmosphere and cheap and ugly looking houses. On our way to this nice place (on the picture) Ai said, she felt like in a suburb of Shanghai.


The parks were very nice though:


And everybody was speaking Spanish! None of the busdrivers could understand us. (Hopefully not because of our accent) And we didn't have great experiences with the public transport. I mean, it was not a surprise, we were already warned about that. But at first it didn't look that bad, we found a bus-stop and even the schedule, that said, busses will come every "10 to 30 minutes" was roughly correct, as we waited exactly "just" 30 minutes. But when we wanted to go back to our Inn in the evening, the bus stopped after half of the way because it was too late and it didn't run further at this time. (8pm!) So we waited 30 min for the next bus of another line, that didn't arrive. Then again 30 min, but still no bus. Fortunately it was warm at least so it didn't matter too much, standing there for 1 1/2 hours until we finally got back. :(


Interesting looking house/shop on one of the not so pretty streets.

Park with palm trees and nice chairs, but with many weird people hanging around there.

Viki's Voice Recital

Today it finally is!

Here the original program:

I'm so excited! And: Ms. Wise suggested in the last minute (after the dress rehearsal today) that I should either do some "jodeling" or should sing "Wien, Wien nur du allein" as encore. - DIE Schnulze schlechthin, I know, and usually not my 1st choice (except when singing in an retirement home), but still better than some dilettantic yodeling..
And then, when we tried it out, first I was singing it and then Ms. Wise was singing it for me. And she got so emotional by that, it made her cry! (I hope not because my singing sounded so horrible) I assume that as she had lived in Wien for 20 years, it made her sentimental...

Recital madness

Recital...

Why, crazy me, did you schedule a solo - recital in the week after Spring break? And why did you have the glorious ideo of getting sick right before that week? And why did you plan to sing 18 pieces and didn't bother to memorize them before all that?!?

So, as always, I have to be creative to smart myself out - so here comes Viki's colourful "Anti-chaos-memorization - helpers": Every song/aria on one piece of paper - and all of that on the walls of my room:

Here some close-ups on one of my favourite pieces of art :)

I can just say: I hope that helps. And I'll keep you posted about everything else I was promising (the last Miami-pictures,..) when that madness is over :)

Magda's purse-game

Hey guys, that's my 2nd update in 1 day (that has never happened before, but I'm just so inspired right now that I can't wait until tomorrow before posting this), so -
PLEASE - also read my Miami update below, because that's the really interesting thing, and way more important than this fun stuff here:

Magda's purse game... as she had guessed already - of course I was too tempted to play the same "game" also with my purse. (as she had done it in her blog) - so that's my spontaneous presentation of what's in my purse right now.... Oh, I feel so chaotic - even here! I'm sure there are thousands os psycho-tests trying to explain how what's in your handbad reflects your character or whatwever, but before I post this picture, I must make clear - that's NOT true! And I'm a very organized and not-chaotic person! At least I wish I were. Anyway, so that's my bag right now: (I must admit, I'm surprised about most of the things myself and wasn't really aware of their presence in my bag)


1. "Royal Dansk" Chocolate wafers (bought today at Walgreen's)
2. Walnuts
3. Pistacchios
4. Dried mixed fruits
5. Chewing gum
6. A pink note with Haomin's e-mail address
7. My wallet
8. A Starbucks - bill
9. My dear analog Olympus - camera
10. Video-camcorder
11. A already full video Mini DV cassette
12. hairbrush
13. Tic Tac "Cherry passion"
14. An empty black oldfashioned "Filmdose"
15. A candy
16. my yellow hairband
17. my passport
18. two stones
19. an envelope with postcards and pens
20. headphones I took from the plane
21. A bunch of maps and folders from the recent attractions in Orlando and Miami
22. an empty zip-lock bag
23. A very old cherry labello
24. A very new Chap stick (practically the same, just without cherry)
25. Ticket for the Universal Studios - Park
26. Ticket for the Vizcaya museum
27. 2 alcohol disinfection pads. (to make sure I'm not a bio hazard)
28. Bus-ticket from the summer holidays 2007 in Elba
29. ticket for free entry to the IU- dress rehersals
30. Card of the Gay/Lesbian student organization
31. Soap from the "Budget Inn"
32. A snail-house

Uff, okay, that's it.

Oh, and wha not also doing Magda's other game: but translated- so
"The 1-word- Survey-game":

filled out today, Mar 12 in Miami, Florida.

1.) Where is your cell phone: sitting next to me, on the bed
2.) Your partner: my roommate Ai, now for travelling
3.) Your hair: in a plait, for the 1st time since years right now!
4.) Your mother: likes James Bond - movies
5.) Your father: will come to visit me in San Francisco in July!!
6.) Favourite object: uhm.... Hula Hoop
7.) Dream you had last night: that I meet Sirkka again and everything was wonderful
8.) Favourite drink: Mango-smoothie, freshly squeezed juices
9.) Car of my dreams: I've never dreamed of a car - I don't like any... but Oldtimers are cute
10.) Room I'm currently in: Day's Inn - room with floral drapes in Miami
11.) My Ex: Sirkkilini
12.) My fear: is the only thing that never stops keeping me working on myself and on fulfilling my dreams
13.) What do you want to be in 10 years: singing and happy
14.) You've spent yesterday evening with: Ai, Quing, Jing, Haomin, Ji and Shudong in a car driving back from Key West
15.) What are you not: cold
16.) The last thing you've done: being crazy enough to empty my bad for Magda's purse game
17.) What do you wear: the new black beach-skirt I bought yesterday and a red-pink-orange top bought last summer at Promod's
18.) My favourite book: right now: "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert
19.) The last thing you've eaten: oops, I'm still eating while writing: dried mixed fruits
20.) My life: A journey with open end
21.) My mood: very tired
22.) My friends: the point of living
23.) Of what are you thinking right now: How I'm excited labout having voice lessons with Julia again
24.) What are you doing right now: answering questions, what else?? And eating.
25.) My summer: for the 1st time not more special then the rest of the year, because it's exciting all the time!
26.) What is on your TV: niente
27.) When did you laugh the last time: today when Ai was afraid of the seagulls
28.) Cried the last time: When I got a very nice e-mail 2 days ago that said (among other things) "No, you're not a stalker, just a wonderfully nice girl"
29.) School: starts again next week: Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
30.) What are you listening to right now: noise of the air condition (yeah, it's summer here!)
31.) Favourite Weekend-activity: no idea...depends where I am. Hopefully for the next weekends: practicing
32.) Dream-job: making a living even though being an artist
33.) My computer: MacBook... muah!
34.) Outside of my window: Fake-rainforest (tropical plants) around the Inn
35.) Beer: yes, I really like the Upland brewery in Bloomington
36.) Mexican food: we had it 2 days ago - very good...reminds me of Maya/Aztek/Inka - food - somehow it's so archaic
37.) winter: is also summer - here in Florida!
38.) Religion: Organized religion is mass psychosis!
39.) Holidays: YES!!!!!! I think a year with half of it holidays, half of it work would be the perfect combination!
40.) On your bed: Laptop, the dried fruets, Ai's clothes
41.) Love: is all there is!! But sometimes it's well hidden or repressed by fears and I want to get and to give and altogether to feel more of it and more and more...!!

Uff, I hope this was entertaining! At least for me... how funny to fill that out here - makes a great difference for most of the answers! :)

Oh no! I just noticed, I have misunderstood the game - and the whole point of it is answering every question with just 1 word. Too late... ok, so then for me it was the "Several words - Survey game". Who say's, we're not creative...

Finally: Miami!

nach einigen erfolglosen Versuchen, jetzt endlich:
der Bildbericht über den 2. Teil der Spring break:
(all these pictures are made with my cell phone, because the real, better pics taken with my camera are not on the computer yet)

Miami

Tropical trees in the Vizcaya gardens

After the wonderful time with couchsurfing-Kevin in Orlando, the Chinese van picked us up (Ai's friend Quing and 4 other friends of her, Jing, Haomin, Ji, and Shudong) and we drove half of the night to Miami. There we stayed at the Hilton because that was the cheapest hotel they could find! Soon I found out, that Quing had planned the whole trip very detailed and that we really had a tight schedule...and soon it turned out that we would spent most of the time in the car driving around and that we would stay every night in another place - so not much beach but a lot of other things... (I always had to be patient though until I was informed about the lastest plans - after listening to everything in Chinese and feeling rather dumb before that)

So - Saturday, the 1st Miami - day started with lunch at a Chinese restaurant and than visiting the Vizcaya museum and gardens. That's a house from 1915 (so ancient in this area) with every imaginable kind of luxury and imported European furniture. And surrounded by great gardens. Here the stairs down to the sea:

This romantic fake ship-wreck is directly in front of the house:

After this day we checked in at the "Motel Blu", it turned out to be my favourite place during the whole trip. At first I was a little shocked, as I found out, dass Quing had just reserved 1 room for all 7 of us, with just 1 kingsize bed , but then I checked my e-mails and found out that I am accepted for the BASOTI San Francisco Opera program and - almost at the same time, I noticed that the Motel had a swimming pool, - suddenly I was happier than for a long time, so I spent 1 hour happily swimming and playing around in the water - at 11pm and in front of all the very astonished Chinese people - and after I woke up in the morning I did the same again - before we had to leave for our next destination in the schedule - the Everglades National Park. I just could take one quick cell phone picture while already leaving...



At the Everglades park, that includes almost the whole southern aerea of the Florida - penninsula, we could see many animals... and I learned their names in Chinese!

Here two Uh- üüh's: (and some U - gue's (turtles) in the water, that are not visible here)


A Nja - Au:


Then we visited the greatest fruit stand (and - as I found out later - a local tourist attraction) I've ever seen... they sell homegrown Papayas and those yellow-greenish coconuts that grow here on the palmtrees everywhere - they make a whole and give it to you with a straw in it, so that you can drink the juice out of it. (This is on one of the pics, that are still to come)


At the southest point of the national park - and of Florida: (except the Key - Islands)


The next night we spent at a not-so-nice Budget Inn (again in 1 room, but now everyody was already used ot it - the 3 guys always slept on the floor and we 4 girls in the 1 or two beds)
Then, on Monday, we drove 3 hours to Key West, the southest and last of the keys (the islands south of Florida, connected with a highway) - first impression: A huge dead fish in the harbour. The boat rental-guy said, it's a sun fish, that died naturally and is of average size. (I rather doubt rather every piece of that information):


Ai's food at a Mexican restaurant:


Today, the last day, the Chinese group left back to Tallahassee (where they're at the university - that's suprisingly the capital of Florida by the way!) and Ai and I spent the whole day with taking the bus from our Airport Inn to downtown and back again. (what lasted for hours - how depressing how lost you suddenly feel without a car!)
Of course I've also pictures of that, but .. that's the cliffhanger :) so - next time! (enough for today)

Spring Break

in Florida!

1.) ORLANDO!


Ai and I arrived yesterday and we were spending the 1st night with the nicest guy that you can possibly imagine - found on www.couchsurfing.com.


Today we spent the whole day in 2 theme parks - "Universal Studios" and "Island of Adventures":


to be continued soon! These were just some quick pictures made with my cell phone, we have many better ones still on Ai's camera... and there are still more things to come.... for example Miami tomorrow! I'm excited!

Takhomasak & Euridice

1. Today I discovered that some American friends are also reading this blog now and then, and they were not so happy about the German posts, so: one more reason to write in English! Yes yes, Viki, no laziness anymore!!

2. Here's the solution to my tricky question about what "Takhomasak" means:
And the answer is: Slang for "Take home a sack"!
I'm glad that just one perso had chosen this answer, so we have a clear winner - the question is just - who is he/she! Please let me know ASAP, otherwise you won't get the "attractive prize" I was promising! (That's a very common shortcut here, meaning "as soon as possible")

3. That may look now as if I had too much time here, and no better things to do, but: I have put Julia on youtube. Ok, I was just so delighted about all those recordings of her here, and that IU was friendly enough to digitize them for me. So I thought, so many just mediocre singers are on youtube and some awesome singers like Julia are still not - I wanted to change that. So I have made a little video (basically just the sound file and some cheesy pictures) out of her Euridice - Aria from Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" and put that on youtube:



Should anyone find that a bad idea or has objections, let me know and I can remove it anytime. Otherwise: Have fun!!