Life of an AIESEC student

... or the first team event of ICX team this semester. We went to Admiralspalast and enjoyed the improvisational theater. I never heard of theatersports before. Both teams (Spartak Stanislawski and Dynamo Duse) were competing in many games where the audience plays a big part. Many pupils of Waldorfschule Nürtingen were there too. As Oleg announced the the next play should deal with 'universal peace' they add 'sex'. So in the end actors were laying on a battle field doing... ;-)
Finally the audience voted for the teams. Dynamo Duse won 21 : 20 because the entered the room after the break with a better song. No good!

Once upon a time... I went to theater. Yesterday I was invited by Marc, my former VP in AIESEC. He is a member of a student artist group and playing the son/groom. The play Bluthochzeit ('Blood Wedding') was very impressive. It took place in a small theater. What to say: a real cool play of all six actors in that adaptation!

Was cool a always. We had a reception weekend with many internationals. My main focus was on Maggie who visited Berlin. It was nice to meet Fensons girlfriend. Saturday we went to many places in Berlin. Most impressive were al the football fans of Nürnberg and Stuttgart. The weather surprised us with a rain out of hail (iceballs). On sunday we watched the procession and joined the AIESEC people in the end. Monday started with a relaxed brunch. Great weekend!

train
Neuzelle
beer
saussage of horse
cathedral
coffee
cake
walk at the river Oder
saussage
beer
beer
garlic and meat
beer

Fruit wine as much as you can afford, sunny weather and local traditions - this was the tree blossom festival this year. I had much fun to watch the parade. Many old cars and costumes! On the island we enjoyed coffe and cake at the church and walked around the festival area. You should have been there too!

I don't like people - who are not caring about others.

Every third month my train is not running or to late because of suicide. I'm loosing time! Not enough, yesterday one stole also some of my nerves.

Imagine (only when you are brave): You are walking down a small path in the forest. Two times before you had to leash your dog because families are afraid of it. The third time you see on a small clearing somebody on the left side. You leash again and start walking by. As you are on the same level you notice he is not moving. He is cowering on a tree. You are moving towards him and start yelling "Is everything allright?". You are coming closer and see the rope, his white skin, his left arm hanging down, his bike, his blue lips... tongue... Shit, he is dead !!!

I left my mobile at home. None of the closest three houses answered my pinging. Finally there was somebody in the fourth one. As a told her that I found a man hanging on a tree like gibbet - she doesn't believed and calls her husband. He gave me his mobile and I phoned 110. Now she want's to see him. We are going to the suicide from an other angle. Step by step she want's to be shure that she doesn't know him. No. I try to go with her back to the house. She is crying. Some minutes later emergency ambulance is arriving. Some more and the police is arriving too.

I finished walking the dog as normal. At home the CID is calling and I decribe the whole situation. The father of the maybe 25 year old is posting him as missed.

I don't like people who are leaving their beloved, friends, relatives alone. I don't like people - who are not caring about others. I didn't know him...

Labels: suicide

It's fun joining such interesting meeting. The working group
VIKTAS (Video Conference Technologies and their use) of
DINI (German Initiative for Network Information) held every year a meeting via video conference. Topic this year "Modern communication of teaching and science". Every of the four partizipats: DESY Hamburg, University of Duisburg-Essen, Technische Universität München and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin had two presentations. All of them you will find here (in German or English).

There was a wide variety of topics. From collaboratve work in High Energy Physics to Low Level Communication at Universities. Sometimes I wondered whether the people who where talking know what they are talking about. Especially working for a common goal and solution still seems to be a huge challenge for universities: "first steps of an informational and communicational infrastructure" ... "because we really need to exchange more".

Most of the presentations were a bad example for video conferencing. Here some mistakes: looking back towards the projection not to the camera, walking out of the screen to the notebook, using laser pointer instead of the mouse to point on the projection of presentation, hand over of lavalier microphones, black suit and white background, static sxi/ppt.

My experience was supported by most of the speakers: information sharing is crucial for development, mail and chat are still important, acceptance of technology is the biggest field to work on!

Labels: DINI, video conferencing, VIKTAS

would be very good... grey sky, leafless trees and wet clothes. I think it is not to hard for the trainees who are leaving now. Two weeks ago I sent Su Wern to the airport, saturday Sammy (Sammy, the girls where waiting for an American/German band called US5) and today I said Good Bye to Chen.

I want to be far away too. How about going to Cuba, India or Namibia? I will keep dreaming! This weekend will be the International Tourism Fare (ITB) in Berlin. The world on 150000 m². Who is going there too ;-)

What as surprise. On Saturday and Sunday the Chinese embassy organised an event in the central train station of Berlin. Is many people wanted their names in Chinese characters and were interested in cultural shows. Many shops had Chinese symbols.

Labels: Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Chinese New Year 2007

Armin
and time goes by... slowly... the negative thing in the beginning: I got no clue what this movie will teach me. Armin, a boy from a small village of Bosnia and his father going for an audition of a german movie to Zagreb. During the whole first third is only the father speaking for Armin. What he thinks, wants and that he likes to play accordion. In Zagreb they experience a different world which causes some funny situations. How it is to be the first time entering McDonalds or to have a buffet in the hotel. Quote 'A foreign film can't be stupid.' Remarkable is the chat between the father and a turkish staff member. They are talking in Bosnian and German about their family but in a total differnet way. Positive misunderstanding!


Jagdhunde - Hounds
I had to laugh. Not because of obvious humors - because of the subtle and dark humor out of an emotionally callous family. Father Henrik and son Lars are trying to set up a new business in the middle of nowhere; Uckermark region. The rural population doesn't talk to them. Who needs a marriage barn? In this situation Lars gets to know Marie and spends a lot of time with her. As he is coming back home Jana, the sister of his mother (she is living in Berlin) stands in the kitchen, slightly dressed. She is not accepted by Lars. Later the father of Marie becomes more and more important (shoots a dog and donates a rabbit). Nobody really talks about emotions, except Marie. Did I tell that she is deaf-mute? This movie lifes from the loneliness in nature and the unspoken thoughts. Imagine you are invited to a movie and you will find youself in an old airplane and watching wild pig out of the windows... Real cool is the final situation. The Mother Brigitte and her new young friend Robert are showing up for christmas dinner. All adults hurt each other now by saying nothing or short sharp words. The end is open. Will Lars be rescued, will Brigitte and Hendrik have a future? I really would encourage you to whatch this movie!

Osdorf
This movie is a documentation. A rural ghetto in Hamburg - Osdorf. Do you know this reality of Germany? A gang of young 'Jugendliche mit Migrationashintergrund' people is telling their story. The director shows the real life and changes. Those people will take part in a programm whre kids will be visiting a prision 'Santa Fu' the let them think about their future. I was surprised how they see their reality and future. Quotes: 'I will get 10.000 a month or become a gangster', 'junk girls', 'never become a paper boy', 'booze, smoke weed, fuck'.

Labels: Armin, Berlinale 2007, Jagdhunde, Osdorf

Time is running so fast... Su Wern will leave us on Monday: time for a fare well party! Thanks for malaysian food.

苹果 - Ping Guo - Lost in Beijing
After a long hype in the media about censorship I don't know which version of the movie a watched. I think it was the long version with German subtitles. In the first minutes I felt like in a sex movie. Ping Guo (Fan Bing Bing) was raped by her boss (Tony Leung) of a feet massage salon. Her husband An Kun first dislike it (raped her too) and then he thinks how to make money out of it. Is this, in combination with the high-rise and old buildings in Beijing, the message of the movie? Sex and money? Quote: 'AIDS means you are good in bed.' Ping Guo and An Kun still love each other. After her try to visit a 'doctor' for induced abortion he set a contract with the boss. They will sell the kid (if it is blood type of the boss) for 100.000 and 20.000 compensation for suffering. Well, it turned out it's not but everything can be influenced. So Ping Guo becomes nurse of her own son in the flat of the boss and his wife. This one knows what she wants... sex with An Kun and money! In the end everything will be more confusing and dangerous.
This movie shows the society in China today. The version I watched had a sequence of different daily life styles in Beijing - pur reality. The official version will miss sex, prostitution, gambling and poverty combined with chinese symbols. You will get to know the importance of Benz and the star. Of course there is a girl in dolly style (Wang Mei). If you are interested in China you sould watch it!

Labels: Berlinale 2007, Ping Guo, Su Wern

A happy lunar new year to everybody. Especelly to all people from Asia I know. Please become rich and praise the Golden Fire Pig ;-)

no luck today... waiting for 95 minutes and no tickets for 'Ping Guo' on Saturday! Sometimes it's hard to get the one you want, arrgh!

跟踪 - Gen Zong - Eye in the Sky
One more international premiere. It seems this movie is for all fans of Hong Kong. The undercover guys of HK police are observing a gang. The new member Bo (Kate Tsui) and the old 'doghead' using modern technology to find them. You will see the whole surveillance out of both perspectives: thieves and police. For sure there are some cross connections inside. Nonrelevant facts become important and jewellery is less relevant than kidnapping. Of course spions business will affect Bo's feelings. This move is a brilliant criminal one of stalking. Go for it, watch (HK screening will start in May) and listen to the sound of cantonese language.

Cool, the best time for my cineastic heart is starting now. Last week I had really luck because I had not to wait for the tickets. Now some short comments:


다세포 소녀- Dasepo Sonyeo - Dasepo Naughty Girls
Wow, what a funny and colourful asian movie! Crazy school and pupils. Main character is 'Poverty Girl' she has feelings for a swiss student exchange student: Anthony (the only real name in the movie). He himself is falling in love with 'Double Eye' the sister/brother of 'Cyclops'. Many things will happen in this multi religious school. I really like the combination of Swiss/German songs (e.g. Heidenröslein) and asian way of karaoke and dancing. You will get to know the difference of transgender and cross-dresser, also how the power of Yin and Yang is connected to a dragon.
Even this movie was elected for the worst Korean movie in 2006 (according to the director Lee Jae-Yong) I will recommend it for a funny evening with your friends.

The Fall
This movie has wonderful scenes: Landscape and historic costumes. Wonderful! Overwhelming! A little girl an a hospital meets a stuntman. He is telling her a story which is shown. This story of five men who are looking for an evil king will have funny changes because of the influence of the girl. But the whole tale is only being tolb because the stuntmen want's morphine to die. There is an interesting conflict: youth and death. In the end this movie will be really bloody. Take time to read the cast list ;-)

Labels: Berlinale 2007, Dasepo, The Fall