February 25, 2007
spring break is over/ mama in beijing
back again at the office i am still coughing my lungs out. i was thinking it could be the bird flue. mhhh...well, i had one week to relax and of course i got sick the day our vacation started. the next day my mom came. and after 2 days she was sick. my room has been a lazaret ever since. however, we still got to see some stuff and a lot of movies as well.:)
she is flying home tomorrow and alex and i are back at vw.
yesterday i spoke to my favorite bunch of friends, sophie and lucas. that basically made my day. haha, and now i just can't wait to go to london and check out the one and only soho coffeeshop. so, keep ur fingers crossed.
new years has been very cool. a whole week of war-like-fireworks. not save at all. i had my head covered in ashes and burning pieces of firework were flying through the air. but it was wonderful to see entire beijing lightened up by bursting colors. i knew i wouldn't be able to catch that sight, so i didn't try making a pic.
now, that we have about 4 weeks left here in beijing, i am starting to wonder how to pack my suitcase, what to leave behind, what to bring. that's gonna be tough.
right now, beijing is covered in white smog/fog, but we had some spring like days here, which we used to go and see the summer palace and simply walk around the city. it was great having the extra spare time to really discover more and experience the citylife.
kai's was fun as always, my mom and i met the weirdest people. she will probably not forget the 'sex animal'. haha, anyway. it has been a great week. hope all of u had a nice week as well.
February 14, 2007
das wort zum mittwoch
so, since someone told me that talking about little chinese girls with pigtails and boys with short pants and about chinese widowers with 6 children in general is presumptuous and swanky, i doubt that any of u read that in between the lines. but in case someone else shares that opinion it's herefore said, that arogant talk about chinese widowers was never my attention.
furthermore, it seems to be important to say, that there is actually more here, that alex and i do, than drinking. but if i talk to u about what happens during the 9 hours sitting in front of my computer, the entertainmentfactor is about 0.
so, either you have the cells to get the picture or ur visit to this blog is unnecessary.
furthermore, it seems to be important to say, that there is actually more here, that alex and i do, than drinking. but if i talk to u about what happens during the 9 hours sitting in front of my computer, the entertainmentfactor is about 0.
so, either you have the cells to get the picture or ur visit to this blog is unnecessary.
Toaster-a thing with a meaning
ha, i'm yawning and my cloth smell like smoke and red wine. but i won a toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven. that makes me not only a better prepared person but also establishes my position as well equipped rookie on the merriage market. ha! i 'm gonna get send off to some widowed chinese that has 6 children, the girls with little pigtails and the boys with too short pants. And i will make grilled cheese sandwiches, coffee, and cakes everyday, all day long.
that's about where my imagination takes me, while i'm sitting in front of my computer, trying to look busy, but simply mending my condition posting entries. alex and i look like shit right now. i don't know about him, but i m having a little tickle in my lips from the abundance of chinese rice wine, red wine and vodka that we were obligated to drink.
yesterday was the new years party of dmg and the chance for everybody to get as pissed as possible. they rented out the chinese restaurant where alex had enjoyed his favorite dish of porkfat with bbq-sauce before, and we were having dinner, got entertainment and were playing drinking games. yes, thats about what you do at such events. eat and drink yourself to delirium. and that's probably why you eat before in the first place, so you don't die.
so, i had a good start, since alex and i proofed before that being german mainly means you can drink more then the chinese, i was called to the stage to performe and express this particular german trait. i was competing in a who-drinks-the-beer-the-fastest-contest. the funny thing was that we had to do it with straws. mmmhhh.....i won anyway. i basically beat the pants off them. i don't know if the victory is good or bad for my reputation. we'll find out.
but i got a starbucks thermo mug, so thats's cool.
after they started eating, we got to the lucky draw. basically they couldn't pronounce my name when they pulled it out of the box, so after 2 min of struggling i was on stage again and was handed THE most wonderful multi-genius-electronic thing. the toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven. i was supposed to drink a full water glass of chinese vodka, but seriously, i would have puked on their feet if they would have made me do it. so, roger, from the account took a stand and exxed it right down. god guys, seriously dieses zeug ist zum kotzen.
sebastian was also forced to ex one, but as he said, 'it just came right back out'.
haha, so as u can imagine the whole thing was great fun, everybody was still having a great time when it was time to jog with wine.
after, alex and i had jogged even with the drivers and cleaningladies at their back table, the mood started to shift. as dan put it, 'the grass-in-the-wind stadium' was now over and the grass about to break. so, the first made their way home. others couldn't really.
alex, sebastian and i plus another 10 guys from dmg+plus dan and peter (heads of dmg) were actually the last ones standing. dancing to chinese covers of electronic sommerhits, we were ready to go and change locations. so, the evening eventually ended after a few more hours and a few more drinks. and this time I ended up with a girl in my place. yeah, figure that out. =)
but it had obviously been more that just drinking, attending this event was very cool for both, alex and me. it was great to see, how everybody had a wonderful time, to see the videos and making-ofs of commercials and events that dmg had produced last year and just to have such nice people around u. and, of course i got the toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven. so, here is a reason to be happy.
did i mention, i forgot to take my toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven when i left the restaurant?
that's about where my imagination takes me, while i'm sitting in front of my computer, trying to look busy, but simply mending my condition posting entries. alex and i look like shit right now. i don't know about him, but i m having a little tickle in my lips from the abundance of chinese rice wine, red wine and vodka that we were obligated to drink.
yesterday was the new years party of dmg and the chance for everybody to get as pissed as possible. they rented out the chinese restaurant where alex had enjoyed his favorite dish of porkfat with bbq-sauce before, and we were having dinner, got entertainment and were playing drinking games. yes, thats about what you do at such events. eat and drink yourself to delirium. and that's probably why you eat before in the first place, so you don't die.
so, i had a good start, since alex and i proofed before that being german mainly means you can drink more then the chinese, i was called to the stage to performe and express this particular german trait. i was competing in a who-drinks-the-beer-the-fastest-contest. the funny thing was that we had to do it with straws. mmmhhh.....i won anyway. i basically beat the pants off them. i don't know if the victory is good or bad for my reputation. we'll find out.
but i got a starbucks thermo mug, so thats's cool.
after they started eating, we got to the lucky draw. basically they couldn't pronounce my name when they pulled it out of the box, so after 2 min of struggling i was on stage again and was handed THE most wonderful multi-genius-electronic thing. the toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven. i was supposed to drink a full water glass of chinese vodka, but seriously, i would have puked on their feet if they would have made me do it. so, roger, from the account took a stand and exxed it right down. god guys, seriously dieses zeug ist zum kotzen.
sebastian was also forced to ex one, but as he said, 'it just came right back out'.
haha, so as u can imagine the whole thing was great fun, everybody was still having a great time when it was time to jog with wine.
after, alex and i had jogged even with the drivers and cleaningladies at their back table, the mood started to shift. as dan put it, 'the grass-in-the-wind stadium' was now over and the grass about to break. so, the first made their way home. others couldn't really.
alex, sebastian and i plus another 10 guys from dmg+plus dan and peter (heads of dmg) were actually the last ones standing. dancing to chinese covers of electronic sommerhits, we were ready to go and change locations. so, the evening eventually ended after a few more hours and a few more drinks. and this time I ended up with a girl in my place. yeah, figure that out. =)
but it had obviously been more that just drinking, attending this event was very cool for both, alex and me. it was great to see, how everybody had a wonderful time, to see the videos and making-ofs of commercials and events that dmg had produced last year and just to have such nice people around u. and, of course i got the toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven. so, here is a reason to be happy.
did i mention, i forgot to take my toaster-slash-coffeemaker-slash-oven when i left the restaurant?
February 12, 2007
February 11, 2007
about cakes, toiletts and multi-tasking
where do i start? this weekend has been weird and crazy.
after the presentation to vw, the atmosphere was finally relaxed again after everybody had been working and stressing so much. we actually got more than 2 hours of sleep. so, basically it was time to party again.
even though, alex and i had to submit our quarter away choices, we successfully postponed it to yesterday. the weekend was free time, no worrying about next quarter.
it all started out on friday. alex and i were asked by sebastian and nanni to be the photographers for the Mercedes New Years Party. the location was pretty cool and packed. nearly everybody of the mercedes crowd was there. we knew a few of the german interns already, alex even better than me, but there were also hundreds of chinese employees. after a few speeches held by the board (awfully poor english on the german side) and some more or less funny videos about the different departments, it was time for a round of 'who wants to be a millionaire'. and here starts the embarrassment.
fucking hell. they hid stickers under the seats and whoever was sitting on such a chair had to be the contestant. great technique! and who was the lucky one??? me!
i really tried to maneuver myself out of it, by smiling but vehemently shaking my head. and who thought we germans were stubborn? the fight was lost before it began. i was standing there like the last idiot on the planet still shaking my head like i had Parkinson's.
i might would have had a chance if it were questions about everything else but the chinese company history of mercedes. but, hey, of course it was about numbers, locations and other sort of really interesting facts of MBC.
i was standing on the stage in front of these mercedes people with no fucking clue where the last trainee camp was build, shanghai or beijing, how many spear-parts they had sold in 2006 or whether their employees were taught how to manage angry customers.. haha, so being the foreign looser was great. at least i got a nice mercedes jacket, made in china, which means that after opening the first button it just cracked and now my wonderful mercedes jacket doesn't close anymore. damn!
after that episode, i took advantage of the free alcohol.
alex was still shooting his way through the slowly but constantly more drunken people, while i did my best to get where most of the chinese already were. but the most gruesome things were yet to come. the buffet!
the chinese seem to take a rather intense interest in buffets. you have never seen a more skilled people in shoving up food on a small plate. it was amazing to watch. while some created true masterpieces of something that at some point looked like modern art others just stayed where they were put. in front of their favorite food. and, no, they wouldn't leave. just standing there, eating from the plate in front of them, while a big cue was building up behind them. but the chinese have nerves. they don't give a fuck about anyone thats not related to them. so, i just got a few sushi and the hell out of there.
the event had started at 2 and now by 8 i was wondering how long it would last. but that question answered itself pretty quickly. 2 secs after the big lucky draw, where nearly everybody got a price, ALL of the chinese where gone. i had just gotten myself a new white wine and when i turned around, the place that before had been crowded with happy looking chinese was empty. the only thing left was a few german interns and the board members. due to alcohol and a youth in the 80s they soon started to shake everything they got to nena.
sebastian and alex and i were passively standing and watching with our glasses. we decided it was time to change locations.
picking up our jackets we collected three mercedes cakes. they didn't make it long. sebastian, cold-heartedly, threw two of them out of alex apartment. mine is still sitting on the fridge next to my new mercedes s class model-car.
anyhow, we ended up at kai's again, where someone was getting so pissed that he was 'multitasking' around and we fought over the fact who would get a round of drinks. after i had a nice encounter with kai's toilette, voted the worst toilette in whole beijing, we decided to move on. suzi wongs was the next stop. i dunno what happened, but alex was suddenly gone and sebastian and i kept up the legacy by staying there till 6 or something. pissed as shit. but in beijing u don't need to worry about anything. you ll always get home. u just get the next of the 70, 000 taxis and pay ur 1.10 euro. so, somehow i ended up home and went to go shopping. the sun was shining and it was warm, which happened to be great, since alex had left with my jacket.
so, i got my yoghurt and water and went home. i could still see the left overs of the cake sebastian had thrown out earlier. but i just had to sleep.
the rest of saturday is another story, alex got more to tell about that.
but guys, what's that stuff about the milk; i don't get it.
after the presentation to vw, the atmosphere was finally relaxed again after everybody had been working and stressing so much. we actually got more than 2 hours of sleep. so, basically it was time to party again.
even though, alex and i had to submit our quarter away choices, we successfully postponed it to yesterday. the weekend was free time, no worrying about next quarter.
it all started out on friday. alex and i were asked by sebastian and nanni to be the photographers for the Mercedes New Years Party. the location was pretty cool and packed. nearly everybody of the mercedes crowd was there. we knew a few of the german interns already, alex even better than me, but there were also hundreds of chinese employees. after a few speeches held by the board (awfully poor english on the german side) and some more or less funny videos about the different departments, it was time for a round of 'who wants to be a millionaire'. and here starts the embarrassment.
fucking hell. they hid stickers under the seats and whoever was sitting on such a chair had to be the contestant. great technique! and who was the lucky one??? me!
i really tried to maneuver myself out of it, by smiling but vehemently shaking my head. and who thought we germans were stubborn? the fight was lost before it began. i was standing there like the last idiot on the planet still shaking my head like i had Parkinson's.
i might would have had a chance if it were questions about everything else but the chinese company history of mercedes. but, hey, of course it was about numbers, locations and other sort of really interesting facts of MBC.
i was standing on the stage in front of these mercedes people with no fucking clue where the last trainee camp was build, shanghai or beijing, how many spear-parts they had sold in 2006 or whether their employees were taught how to manage angry customers.. haha, so being the foreign looser was great. at least i got a nice mercedes jacket, made in china, which means that after opening the first button it just cracked and now my wonderful mercedes jacket doesn't close anymore. damn!
after that episode, i took advantage of the free alcohol.
alex was still shooting his way through the slowly but constantly more drunken people, while i did my best to get where most of the chinese already were. but the most gruesome things were yet to come. the buffet!
the chinese seem to take a rather intense interest in buffets. you have never seen a more skilled people in shoving up food on a small plate. it was amazing to watch. while some created true masterpieces of something that at some point looked like modern art others just stayed where they were put. in front of their favorite food. and, no, they wouldn't leave. just standing there, eating from the plate in front of them, while a big cue was building up behind them. but the chinese have nerves. they don't give a fuck about anyone thats not related to them. so, i just got a few sushi and the hell out of there.
the event had started at 2 and now by 8 i was wondering how long it would last. but that question answered itself pretty quickly. 2 secs after the big lucky draw, where nearly everybody got a price, ALL of the chinese where gone. i had just gotten myself a new white wine and when i turned around, the place that before had been crowded with happy looking chinese was empty. the only thing left was a few german interns and the board members. due to alcohol and a youth in the 80s they soon started to shake everything they got to nena.
sebastian and alex and i were passively standing and watching with our glasses. we decided it was time to change locations.
picking up our jackets we collected three mercedes cakes. they didn't make it long. sebastian, cold-heartedly, threw two of them out of alex apartment. mine is still sitting on the fridge next to my new mercedes s class model-car.
anyhow, we ended up at kai's again, where someone was getting so pissed that he was 'multitasking' around and we fought over the fact who would get a round of drinks. after i had a nice encounter with kai's toilette, voted the worst toilette in whole beijing, we decided to move on. suzi wongs was the next stop. i dunno what happened, but alex was suddenly gone and sebastian and i kept up the legacy by staying there till 6 or something. pissed as shit. but in beijing u don't need to worry about anything. you ll always get home. u just get the next of the 70, 000 taxis and pay ur 1.10 euro. so, somehow i ended up home and went to go shopping. the sun was shining and it was warm, which happened to be great, since alex had left with my jacket.
so, i got my yoghurt and water and went home. i could still see the left overs of the cake sebastian had thrown out earlier. but i just had to sleep.
the rest of saturday is another story, alex got more to tell about that.
but guys, what's that stuff about the milk; i don't get it.
February 7, 2007
February 1, 2007
killercoys vs. bullshit
well, well, well....schau einer an. my reputation is reaching new hights. :)
tja staussi, soll ich dir gleich mein ganzes fotoarchiv schicken?
today was a 'beetle-day'. after presenting our pro looking scribbles. mmhhhh, we got to 'flush' a few of them. at dmg that means, develope further. our concepts were mainly for beetle, touareg and phaeton. the first two are quite easily accessable, but the phaeton is one shitty piece of craftmanship. and as always: THE CAR NEEDS TO BE BIGGER!
yesterday, my power shut down. just like that. the first time since 2 weeks it was great to look in the mirror. seriously, the food and the smog fucks up your skin. but whatever. i was basically a little freaked out. but since it happened to alex before, i just took a cold shower and we went for breakfast at 'Paris Baguette', where they even have Schwartau Marmelade (jam). and REAL coffee. in china you get a power-card, like a credit card for energy. so, when its out of money they shut down ur energy. well, i got the card recharged and ....got my heating back. right now it feels like its -15 here and the wind is awfully chilly. so, heating is kinda nice.
bla bla, anyway, we canceled our dinner reservations for today. we were supposed to go to the hilton beijing, where the Handelskammer had a dinner party. Why did we do that? I DUNNO.
by the way, the killercoys are swimming in our little lake in the office foyer and when its getting late they always form some sort of a sleeping formation. however, they have to be careful not to get gripped by the current and smashed to death.
so, now i m gonna stop talking nonessential bullshit.
tja staussi, soll ich dir gleich mein ganzes fotoarchiv schicken?
today was a 'beetle-day'. after presenting our pro looking scribbles. mmhhhh, we got to 'flush' a few of them. at dmg that means, develope further. our concepts were mainly for beetle, touareg and phaeton. the first two are quite easily accessable, but the phaeton is one shitty piece of craftmanship. and as always: THE CAR NEEDS TO BE BIGGER!
yesterday, my power shut down. just like that. the first time since 2 weeks it was great to look in the mirror. seriously, the food and the smog fucks up your skin. but whatever. i was basically a little freaked out. but since it happened to alex before, i just took a cold shower and we went for breakfast at 'Paris Baguette', where they even have Schwartau Marmelade (jam). and REAL coffee. in china you get a power-card, like a credit card for energy. so, when its out of money they shut down ur energy. well, i got the card recharged and ....got my heating back. right now it feels like its -15 here and the wind is awfully chilly. so, heating is kinda nice.
bla bla, anyway, we canceled our dinner reservations for today. we were supposed to go to the hilton beijing, where the Handelskammer had a dinner party. Why did we do that? I DUNNO.
by the way, the killercoys are swimming in our little lake in the office foyer and when its getting late they always form some sort of a sleeping formation. however, they have to be careful not to get gripped by the current and smashed to death.
so, now i m gonna stop talking nonessential bullshit.
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