Hear the songs of the black nightingale

Finally, day three of my journey in Istanbul, where I saw amongst other places the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı palace under an absolutely beautiful blanket of snow! Which seems to be a very rare thing nowadays, because just like in Paris, those few snowflakes that actually reach the ground turn almost instantly in an ugly puddle of black mud. Or so I heard.

Übrigens, hallo Papa, coucou maman!
Rein für den Fall, dass ihr euch hier irgendwie bemerkbar machen wolltet, könnt ihr einfach hier klicken und gaaaanz unten in der Kommentarbox hallo sagen.;)




WARNING: This is going to be very picture heavy!

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I think I definitely went overboard with the picture spam this time. Did I go overboard? I'm sure I did. I'll send virtual Turkish Delights to whomever complains that their connection broke down after that pic spam and... Oh, nevermind, here, have virtuel Turkish Delights for everyone, help yourselves.~♥

According to my plan, there should be two more reports left, Topkapı palace and the Blue Mosque. The next one (Topkapı) should be very image-heavy as well, so I'll see when I'll come around to do that one.^^;

*shuffles away to help herself to a hot cocoa to fight the cold*

I went there with my two cousins, whom I met for the first time ever that day. Probably needless to say that they were both awesome, and - even better for me whose cousins' average age was at least 20 years older until now - they are my age! They both spoke a pretty good English as well despite my first fears, although I had sometimes still trouble to understand them, but I blame mostly my own fail when it comes to comprehension skills and not so much their accent, which they hadn't much in my opinion. (I really should have my ears thoroughly checked one day...)

Small intercourse, because eating is teh important: Sultanahmet Köfte are nice, but not my favorite food ever. The kebaps tasted better in my opinion. But Ayran was pretty neat and Helva for dessert was quite tasty as well.:9

Anyway, you came for the pictures, here be the pictures:
(They're unfortunately of varied quality, I had trouble with adjusting the light at times. *sigh*)

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Oookay, next on the list would be the Hagia Sophia. Let's see when I'll get around to do that one then.

*looks outside* Why does it have to be raining when I desperately need to go out and have my laundry done?>_>

Late as ever, I already wanted to write this report middle of last week, but then I got distracted by bad weather, shiny things, calling relatives (now that I have a phone \o/), a peperoni and the surprise visit of my japanese friend to Paris. (The peperoni part sounds probably funny, but it really wasn't. Trust me on that.)
Aaand because I seem to be unable to make a radical choice amongst the fantastillion pictures I took, I'll have to split this report. I'm sorry for that (except that I'm totally not. Except maybe for those with a shitty connection)!
Also, I am once again a total no0b when it comes to editing pics, I can't even install Photoshop correctly!D: So have the pics in their raw state for now. I hope I'll get to work on them one day, but this day won't be today I'm afraid. Otherwise I'll never get them posted at all!;>_>

So for a beginning, Sultanahmet! The part of the city where my hostel was... and about every single top important historic site in not even five minutes walking distance all around. Aka, the kind of stroll through the city where you can just turn around yourself and take a picture of everything that moves, or, uh, rather doesn't!<3 I desperately need a Türkiye icon, clearly!

Also, here be your warning for a shitload of pictures? Maybe I went a liiiitle overboard, now that I have my own internet and all.D:




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Oookay, first part is done! More to come soon with the Grand Bazaar, although there will be fewer pictures (fortunately).

Hold on!~♥

*spams her own journal while waıtıng for her two cousıns to arrive*

My fırst impression: The weather ıs SPLENDID today (unlıke the rest of the week), and the quarter where I'm stayıng absolutely awesome! There are a LOT of hıstorıcal buıldıngs here, I've just had a chai and awesome chat wıth a random carpet seller (and plenty of offers for more), have probably never been called "georgeous" or "beautıful" or "charmıng" that often ın such a short tıme ın my lıfe before (uuuh, thanks... I guess), have stopped countıng the tımes where people stopped me for a frıendly chat (all ın Englısh, sometımes ın German or French and by men, and only once by a woman ın turkısh untıl she notıced I dıdn't understand anythıng at all >_>), and have already taken a shıtload of pıctures. Good start for a holıday, I've never been that relaxed for months anymore!

*stıll waıting = contınues to spam*

So up to now, the rumor that turkısh people are very frıendly defınıtely stands the ground. Or at least the men, the women don't talk to me.;_; Even those who flırted wıth me (and they were quıte a lot of course) dıdn't do ıt that ıntrusıve scary way that I'm used to mıddle-eastern men ın Germany or France.>_>

Also, beıng ın mıddle of a whole forest of mınarets ıs awesome! The muezzın from the Blue Mosque started to call, made a pause and the mosque next took hıs turn. Then there were other muezıns from further away buttıng ın, and all of a sudden we had a whole chorus of muezzıns wıth occasıonal solısts or duetts. Crazy, but awesome!%D

*ıs stıll waıtıng*

*and gettıng hungry*

Havıng cucumber and feta cheese and tomatoes and olıves and anythıng-but-pork-sausages for breakfast also was very refreshıng, I lıked ıt. I'm waıtıng for them to have turkısh omelette for breakfast too,I'm quıte curıous about that. Hmm, I'm wonderıng what we'll have for lunch now. My cousın proposed to go to the Grand Bazaar, and I'm sure there we'll be nıce restaurants out there. Turkısh food looks goooood!

She just called, fıve more mınutes maybe? I guess I'll send thıs entry before she comes then... Have a nıce day, I'm sure I wıll!

First exam session: DONE!!!

And while the first exams were nothing but a disaster (for almost everyone, thanks to particularly *coughs* clever *coughs* questions and a difficulty level far above our current skills, not to mention the kanji that we weren't supposed to know for this current exam session), I'm quite happy (happyhappyHAPPY!!!11♥) with the last ones! \^-^/ Oh, I don't know about the results yet, "quite happy" certainly doesn't equal "perfect" after all, but at least those last ones can't be that awful, and for the others, they'll simply have to be nice to us if they don't want to see 90% of their students on the second exam session day (and have to correct all of those exams over again). *g*

I have one more immediate comprehension exam on monday, but I don't care for now as I'm going on my own free will in order to get a better mark, as I heard about those weird new exam regulations today. (Why yes, my university IS the epitome of chaos, why do you ask?) More details may be added tomorrow, for now I'm going to take a quick shower and party tonight!<3

Okay, I guess I need your help - again. You don't happen to have any recommendations for mp3-players, do you? I know it sounds weird and awfully retarded, but I don't have an mp3-player yet - or more exactly the one I got as a present once never worked at all.~_~ And except for long trips in the train or plane or wherever else, I never felt like I desperately needed one until now, I haven't been in that walk-around-with-earplugs-for-24/7-per-week-phase since high school where the cool kids still had Discmen after all. But now I have been fancying for one for a while now - and funnily enough, the main reason why I want one NOW is because of my comprehension exam on friday next week. And I feel desperate for listening to japanese radio shows, radio dramas, whatever, for as much time as I can afford now, and staying near my laptop (my only source for music for years) isn't a serious option comprehension-wise. (And of course, I wouldn't mind listening to music as well as soon as that exam is over...;))

When I want a new electronic toy, I want a really good one, no less. Especially because, yeah, I did mention that the last USB-stick mp3-player never worked at all, don't want to risk that again. I'm currently fancying the ipod nano because a friend of mine told me that other players often weren't able to display Chinese (or Japanese) characters, and although my japanese (or chinese. or anything not roman letters involving) playlist isn't exactly that big yet, but it might grow a lot beginning from september after all. And ipod nano because I was under the impression that ipod shuffle doesn't display anything at all...?
Do you possibly have any alternatives you can warmly recommend me, or is ipod not only scarily popular and expensive but teh very best indeed? Any kind of help or personal rec is very welcome as I want to go shopping tomorrow at the latest.:-\

...or in English: "Great, Someone Else Is Doing The Work".

Which is why I don't like the kind of work you're supposed to do as a team, especially not if your final mark depends exclusively on your common effort. And you're stuck with a team member that you have to remind multiple times in two weeks that he shouldn't forget about the translation we have to turn in next week on tuesday at the latest! Which is an awful lot of work because this translation is in the first place a transcription of a short video, where the guy who is talking not only uses a broad variety of honorific language (yes, in Japanese of course), which is always difficult to understand per se, but also speaks like it were a speed contest. And my wonderful partner hasn't even begun yet while I'm waiting for weeks to compare my transcription with his so that I can finally begin with the translation.

And for another translation we have done several months ago and we have to improve and correct before handing it in, I realize that not only hasn't he corrected that many former mistakes, but that his style, grammar and spelling are simply horrifying, and I'm saying this as a person who isn't exactly perfect in French either! Huzzah for correcting both of our versions to create a final common translation!

Why, yes, I am frustrated, why do you ask?

And no, this entry doesn't have any other purpose than to vent a little of my anger because I don't have the time to go outside and kick some innocent tree trunks today.~_~

This is not true, this can't be true, this is way too good to be true! I checked the website of the Baphomet's Fluch/Broken Sword/Les Chevaliers de Baphomet fan game out of pure boredom to check on their progress, and what do I read in the news? Another fan game, Zak McKracken 2: Between Time and Space has been finished four days ago!

Zak McKracken. Zak McKracken! IT'S ZAK MCKRACKEN!!!1111:DDDDDDD *bounces around like a super ball*

Don't anyone dare to say that they don't know Zak McKracken, otherwise I'd feel very old. THIS IS PART OF MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH, DAMMIT!!! *shakes fist* And when I think that it has only been a week or two ago when I talked about our first pc games with some friends and we became all nostalgic about Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, Simon the Sorcerer, Monkey Island and last but not least Zak McKracken. Aaah, the good ol' days, when pc games were still pixelized but had so much more spirit than their 3D sequels like Monkey Island 4...^__^

But why, why are they taunting me with that game now when my exams start in mid-May??? This is so not fair!;__; *starts downloading anyway* And if only I had a microwave, I would SO put an egg in it right now, just for the fun to watch how it explodes!

Just a random thought: Cooking is fun!:D

Not for everyday of course, but sometimes, when I want to relax a little and simply take the time to make something different than your average daily food, it's really fun to prepare all the little extras to pour them together in the end, no matter how much time that takes and how many dishes I have to clean afterwards. And then, the best part, is to set the table, pour yourself a nice aperitif, while the salmon and spinach lasagna bubbles in the oven and your whole room smells nice. It's the first time I make myself a salmon lasagna and I can't wait to know whether it's tasty or not.^__^
Like my aunt told me, cooking can be relaxing. Especially because you use all of your five (or maybe even six) senses: your hands of course, your eyes, but also your nose, your tongue and your ears (to listen whether the water is boiling, if the food in your stove seems to bubble too much and therefor you need to reduce the heat...) I'm not really a good cook yet, and I almost never came to cook for anyone else than myself before, but I'm looking forward to have - one day - a real kitchen with all the place and tools I need to invite lots of people and to cook for them.^__^

That's all. My lasagna is ready. Have a nice day, and thank your for your attention.:D

That's it I guess. I'm now officially into holidays, for two weeks.
Well, to be honest, I haven't done anything for uni for a while now, especially this week where I struggled anytime I had any homework to do and got done nothing at all in the end, plus I missed a few classes and went to uni only to meet with my tandem partner. Partly because I'm still sort of ill (still trying to break through without getting really ill after all, this is so tiresome!), partly because I didn't have any motivation left. But that's okay, my program for today is to clean up my room, do the laundry and maybe some cooking, and then movies, Naruto, writing fanfics, going out for the walk, sleep as much as I want... you name it, and this for the whole week-end.♥ And I won't even think of my homework! WOOT!
I suppose I'll go into exam mode anytime soon though to catch up all the work I haven't finished those past weeks, but that's also okay. That will mean less time on the internet and the such, but I hope a stricter working schedule will motivate me for the exams that will begin in mid-may, everything will be fine!:)

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