Sunday, January 30, 2011

Germany: What we ate

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story


And so we ate.

Schwein Haxe (Pork Knuckle)

Schwein Steak ( Pork steak)

Best Salmon Pasta, ever!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

It wasn't love at first sight: Frankfurt



At first glance, Frankfurt may seem very business-like and contemporary for a city, which it is, being the most largest financial centre on the continent but give it three days or more, you will find that tuck in amidst of its dynamic and bustling facade with bold high-rise architectures is another side, one that reflects the wide breadth of Frankfurt’s history, art, religion and culture. Take for instance the Kaiserdom (Frankfurt Cathedral), a magnificent architecture made in the 14th century with its High Romanesque architecture, I was amaze that even after centuries, the architecture and splendid carvings are still exceptionally well-preserved.


Or the Archaeological Garden, located just outside of Kaiserdom, from being walls of a Roman military camp to being a Roman baths in the 1st and 2nd century, it gives you a brief glimpse of what use to be the Roman era. It is discoveries like these that makes you stop and think about how things used to be centuries ago and how it evolved into today's modern era. And somehow or rather, one learn or rather I learn to appreciate it. So yes, history is fascinating, a fact that I don't reckon back in school.


And of course, Romer (German surname, Roman), it was considered as the most beautiful square in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in the 16th century and it is still breathtakingly beautiful to this date. At the heart of Romer, is the statue Lady of Justice with its liberated disposition, a scale and a sword. It was written that this was the first fountain made in Frankfurt. Surrounding the square are medieval building of houses said to be the city hall constructed in the 14th century and for six centuries, this was where the city council would meet. Put it all together, the fountain, the municipal houses and even the Old Nikolai Church, it is without a doubt my favourite part of Frankfurt.



Romerberg by night. They took down the Christmas tree the next morning.
 
  


 


So it’s really the fusion of the contemporary uptakes of the city plus the charm of its history and culture that makes Frankfurt, worth a visit, over and over again. I'm glad we made the decision to spend a few days in Frankfurt as I have been here not once but twice but the visits was a mere transit point.

I will dedicate an entire post to the best Salmon Pasta, ever, discovered serendipitously, in Frankfurt. But that will be another day. Till then.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Marriage Preparation Course Session 5: Shared goals and values

While I spent Christmas and New Year with Oliver in Germany, we took the opportunity to do the fifth and last session in our Marriage Preparation Course Manual on Shared Goals and Values. Contrary to the relationship cliché that opposites attracts, we believe it is vital for two people in a relationship to share values and goals and these could be ranging from mundane matters like who cooks, who throws the rubbish, who organizes the social calendar to who pays the bills, who predominantly decides how money is spent etc. Some matters are quite straight forward like of course I’ll cook or clean, you know domestic stuffs, and Oliver would probably be the Mr. Fix-It, fix the computer, fix the light, fix the pipes etc. but it’s quite a challenge given today’s society because although historically, women were more domestic and thus more stay at home mum, today we see more women joining the work force, contributing double income to the family, sometimes more than the partner, sometimes, the role is 360 degrees in reverse whereby the woman works and the man stays at home and be domestic.


And this evolution does not only shape their new found or rather evolved roles in society, but also their emotional and physical being. With their evolved roles, women felt that it is fair enough to get upset when men do not contribute domestically. And men being men (and in fact, I’m not sure how much they have evolved) well, they will find this outburst unexplainable and unacceptable. So, at the end of the day, unless men and women find a balance or better, share an understanding of their respective goals and values to complement each other the best they could, they will be struggling. So, how do two people share goals and values in pursuit of a good marriage, well, start by going to a Marriage Preparation Course. Like seriously. I doubt Oliver and I, if we have not embarked on this marriage course in the first place, we wouldn’t be sharing our goals and values, properly. I think we would just jump into the marriage wagon and think ‘oh well, we’ll pick up pointers here and there. But I believe, it is always good to have a strong foundation and whatever lessons to learn and relearn would be a bonus.

Some key points to share;

Matching our strides – do you remember learning in science where you put two objects together, one is hotter than the other, and over time, the transmissions between molecules from both objects balances the heat between two objects. Well, I might not get the scientific terms right but apply this theory in a relationship. Two individuals, different characters, in order to co-exist harmoniously, they have to find an equilibrium. It might involve changing our behaviour, letting go of unrealistic expectations and making sacrifices. But the most important thing that comes after that is appreciation. To appreciate each other. For who they are. For the sacrifice they made. For the effort. Someone asked me, is it worth it to sacrifice and let go of something to be with someone. Well, depends on how you look at it. Sacrifice is subjective. If sacrifice is warranted for the desired output, so be it.

Working out our values and creating an equal partnership- coming into this course, I have my own set of values and Oliver has his, but in order to create an equal partnership, a marriage, we have to work out values that we both can incorporate into our future marriage and prioritize it. Values could be spirituality and relationship with God, hospitality, nurturing children etc. We also discussed about our roles and responsibilities as future man and wife. There was an interesting anecdote to describe the role of man and woman. A kid was asking his dad the difference between the role of a mother and a father. The dad said to him ‘Well, your mum is the Minister of Internal Affairs and I am the Minister of External Affairs.’ Point is, discuss and be accountable for the agreed roles and responsibilities.

And of course, above all things, to put God in the center of our lives. When all things fail, pray to God and when all things well, give thanks to God. And for this, we are grateful that Oliver and I had decided to take this Marriage Preparation Course in the first place. Given the circumstances, we didn’t think it was possible, but of course, with God, He made it possible and some of our defining moments were fruits of this course.

So Thank You Lord for Everything – From us.
8 months to go.
They say a picture paints a thousand words. So, I'll just do a picture post.

Just arrived Frankfurt Airport on Christmas Eve

Making sushi for Christmas Eve Party at Stef's and Ivan's

Playing a puzzle called 'Ubongo'. Damn hard wei.

Pictures during lunch at CK's and Wenny's

On the way back to Kaiserslautern from Mannheim

Late lunch at Saigon's Vietnamese Restaurant

Sipping our hot beverages at Kaiserslautern Christmas Market
Playing Wii @ the Doerr's
Having our 'Swein' Burger in Mc'Ds. As you can see, I was diligently removing the lettuce from my burger.

Coffe fix @ Starbucks

Dinner in a Mexican Restaurant

Against the wall in Heidelberg
It will be weeks until we see again. I did not mean Oli, I meant Mc'Ds Swein Burger. So good.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Tales of Old Speyer


It was written that Speyer is one of the oldest cities in Germany and we were fortunate to visit Speyer on a better winter day given the nice, blue sky that greeted us that morning. Speyer (pronounced as Schpa-yer) is quite the typical quaint old city with cobbled streets and pavement with buildings and landmarks that stand the test of time. There were still remnants of snow covering the streets and pavements so it was a challenge to walk on slippery grounds.




There were miles of people walking the streets of Speyer, perhaps, to enjoy the last day of Christmas Market before they wrapped up. Speaking of the Christmas Market which I have fond memories of and actually, terribly missing it as I write, there is something quite magical about Christmas Market that just makes you all warm and fuzzy inside; maybe it’s the rows of wooden shop houses decorated colourfully with bright lights and Christmas trinkets, maybe it’s the delicious crepes with chocolate Nutella and banana, maybe it’s the Gluhwein (a type of wine), I’m not sure what it’s made of but if I was to describe the taste, I’d said it tasted like warm red wine, the sweeter kind and a bit spiced or maybe it’s just the season to be jolly.



One of the reasons we visited Speyer was its Cathedrals. Yes, not one, but we visited 3 cathedrals in Speyer. Having been to Europe twice and visited a number of Cathedrals, I was less fascinated with the ones in Speyer. But I still think they are pretty and I think Cathedrals are like wines. It gets better the older it gets.


Technik Museum Speyer- Truth be said, I was not keen when Oliver suggested we visit Technik Museum because it sounded too technical which translates to boring. I was proven wrong. Never mind the expensive entrance fee we paid (we usually skipped museums with entrance fee), but it was interesting to see automobiles, trains and jets of yesteryears. Quite fancy lots they had during the old days unlike the boring ones we have these days, artistic design wise.



So this is bits of Speyer. Again, to be honest, the highlight for me in Speyer was really the crepes and I wish I was not that concerned about my weight as to limit myself but oh well, something to look forward to next Christmas, maybe.

Friday, January 14, 2011

After months, long hour transit, and almost 13 hours flight journey, I am where I want to be-Dec 2010


Will write soon.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year 2011

"We're getting married this year." -Oliver, 2011.

Can't wait.