How to Wrap Your Christmas Presents

If you suck as much at wrapping presents as I do, here is a pretty good video guide: 

I also stumbled over this one...not sure whether my dog would like this too much though.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The Best Christmas Baking Recipes

Santa Strawberries

So cute and easy to make – the best choice for bloody beginners!

 

Soft Chocolate Chip Gingersnap Cookies

To be honest, I’m normally not too fond of gingerbread, but this dish looks tasty.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookie

This recipe puts a twist to the all-time classic. Can it really top the American chocolate chip cookie? Challenge accepted!

Rudolph Cookies

Although the cookie looks like a piece of art, the recipe seems to be pretty easy. A great present idea in my opinion, what do you think?

Christmas Pudding Truffles

I thought the combination was alluring and you’d probably make loads of people happy with these classy self-made truffles.

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

When I first saw a picture of those cupcakes, the scales fell from my eyes. How did I not think of this mind-blowing invention myself? I excitedly started hammering key words into my PC, because I just had to find the according recipe as fast as possible. Are you as flabbergasted as I am?

Edible Snow Globe

Again, this recipe involves gingerbread, but this time it’s about building a gingerbread house. Personally, I would NEVER eat one, because it would simply be too good to pig out on it.

Santa Cake Pops

Still looking for a last-minute present? You’re a poor student who’s on a tight budget? What about these Santa Cake Pops? You can produce a dozen with little effort.

Vanilla crescents

Last but not least, the ultimate Christmas cookie. I don’t believe that any Austrian has never even tasted a vanilla crescent before. During winter time, they are as common as sand on the beach and for good reasons; can anyone resist the crumbly cookie which has been covered with powder sugar?

Cantonese  Egg Tart  

This is probably what you’d call an anti-Christmas cookie. Still, I included it in the list, because I fell in love with these egg tarts this summer. The egg custard is gooey, whereas the tart itself has a crunchy texture. Are you brave enough to try it? (Trust me, there are no weird flavors in it, it just tastes different than most pastries in Austria).

I hope you enjoyed the very belated Christmas post and I’m sorry that it’s about food again, but lately I haven’t been thinking of much else (can you blame me?). Guys, I wish you all a great great Christmas with your beloved ones and of course a happy new year – in case the world doesn’t end tomorrow. Stay tuned.

 

10 Bewitching Breakfast Ideas

     Cookie Pancakes

Basically you just replace the usual pancake batter with cookie dough. If you’re someone that eats with the eyes as well, you could cut out heart-shaped pancake pieces or form a teddy bear pancake.

 Egg Bacon Cupcakes

I tried this recipe out for the first time during my stay in Hong Kong. There was almost nothing in the apartment, apart from a pack of bread slices, some eggs and ham. So, as you are probably a very clever person, you’ve realized that I had to adjust the recipe to the ingredients that I could scrape together.

 Breakfast Donut Muffins

Why not combine two delicious desserts into one that will blow your mind away?

 Cinnamon rolls

A must-have for all the sweet teeth out there!

Grilled sandwich

A simple sandwich deserves so much more credit from us than we actually give it. Is there any other dish that can be so versatile? It could be salty, sweet, spicy – anything you want it to be.

Filled omelet

This dish is great because there are so many possibilities to spice it up. You can constantly try out new filling combinations and adjust them to your personal preferences.  

Breakfast Bagel

Bagels are a great substitute for sandwiches. They are very filling, handy when you only want to grab a bite on your way to university or work and above all taste heavenly.

Melon Fruit Bowl

Only recently did I stumble over this recipe. I haven’t tried it out yet, but doesn’t it look gorgeous?

Fried Bread Sticks with rice porridge

This might not sound that appealing to you, however, it’s a very typical breakfast dish for Chinese people. If you’re brave, give it a try. Normally, rice porridge is seen as the main meal and can be served with duck eggs, tofu and many more side dishes.

Berry Smoothie

If you feel like having a lighter breakfast, making yourself a smoothie is probably one of the best options you have.

Have fun cooking and bon appetit!

 

YOUPOST: What are the sus laws?

 

How you shouldn't deal with stress

The past few weeks have been horrifying; exams, papers and homework were piling up. You could almost cut the tension in the air with a knife. Students spent more time in university than at home. Basically everyone has been telling me how tired, exhausted and busy they are. Yet, I still had the feeling that I was feeling particularly fed up.

I have been struggling lately, struggling really hard to keep my composure and not to go nuts. It seems impossible to keep a balanced equilibrium in my life. On the one hand, I want to achieve as much as possible, whereas on the other, I’d love to have a day off for once. The only problem is that I won’t let myself. Resting on my laurels is not an option as I don’t even have the feeling that I possess any. No idea, when I started to become so ambitious, but sometimes I really feel like seeing a shrink, just to get an explanation for my ridiculous behavior. Also, even when the immense workload really bothers me, I still swallow the bitter pill, though I might already be on the verge of beating the daylights out of somebody. Of course, I’d never do that (without valid reason at least) and consequently I’m stuck with being mad at myself. Angrily, I blame all kinds of mistakes and failures on myself, because obviously I am the only one there is to blame if something goes wrong as I’m the one who screwed up. Sadly, that doesn’t help at all and I just end up feeling more frustrated and miserable.

This post is not supposed to arouse your pity or even attention, but could simply be seen as a lousy excuse for why I have not been blogging recently. To be honest, I really couldn’t find the strength to write a decent post that would be interesting or pleasant for readers because of the sucky mood I was in. Moreover, it might be an explanation to all of the people I could have possibly offended by being taciturn or snippy. My apologies, especially to Mum and Dad. I never meant to have that many blowups. That’s another reason why I’m not too sure about getting children. 

Above all, my words are supposed to serve as a bad example of how not to go about things. Don't be too hard on yourself and try to lift some weight off your mind. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and as Christmas is approaching with big steps, my spirits have finally lifted. Only three weeks to go, guys. Yes, we can! I wish you all success and lots of luck!

PS.: The next post will not be attention-whorish – no worries, I promise.

November Favorites

A shot in the arm (figuratively, don't worry) and a lack of sleep are the main reasons for this early post. Enjoy!

Achievements

 I finally got my driving license! Boo-yah! After delaying the driving test for months, I ultimately brought myself to practice driving with my dad regularly. The main reason for this sudden change of heart was a letter I received from the driving school, telling me that the guarantee of my theory exam results would only last until this December (no pressure, you see). So I started cruising through Graz again and despite very frequent outbursts of rage and frustration I did manage to pass the exam in the end.

Series

Not much has changed, I am still obsessed with “Modern Family”, “New Girl” and “How I met your mother”, however, there has been another addition to the list as I just started re-watching “Friends” again because it is available in HD now. Oddly, when I watched the series, I noticed some parallels to “How I met your mother” and slowly got the feeling that the writers simply reused some of their jokes and also used the “Friends” characters as a model for the ones they invented themselves.

YouTube

Though I have never seen an entire episode until now, I fell in love with the “Ellen DeGeneres Show”. Over 3000 short clips of it were put on YouTube, making the most hilarious scenes accessible to millions of viewers. Ellen really cracks me up, even when she abuses her power to play pranks on other people or scares her show guests, it’s always really entertaining.

Food

 As the first exams start rolling in this month, the spare time for doing things I enjoy is basically vanishing. As a result, I try to save some time even when it only comes to cooking, which I quite like to do, and instead of starving to death or stuffing myself with junk food, I just sit back and wait until our cook conjures up a mouthwatering dish. Now the students who are not living at home anymore will probably all hate me, but owning a restaurant must have some advantages to it, mustn’t it? Of course, that doesn’t work when I’m not at home, but my mum thinks that I will most likely get food poisoning if I cook at my boyfriend’s house and therefore sends me off with huge take-away boxes before I set off. So it’s no wonder that I am constantly craving for Chinese dumplings or fried rice at the moment. I linked some recipes that looked tasty, but don’t be fooled – we have the best one!

Toiletries

The good old hand cream by Neutrogena, famous for its unique Norwegian formula (sure) is the perfect first aid for dry hands and the cold winter time. Keep a tube in your bag and you’ll be prepared for the frosty months to come.

Accessories

Apart from a scarf, a pair of gloves and weatherproof boots, what else do you need for winter? A woolen cap of course! Truthfully, I don’t have a favorite one because it only needs to have a fluffy pompom on it and I’ll be all gaga about it in a second. Yes, I like cute things. Don’t judge.

Travel

It’s currently still in the planning phase, but I’ll probably take a short trip during the winter holidays. Benny and I didn’t decide on the destination yet, but we will probably stay in Europe and pick a cheap flight to a city neither of us has been to so far. If the budget allowed it, we'd probably head off to some nice beach in Cuba with a coconut in our hand and smiles on our faces. Sorry, I'm drifting off to unrealistic day dreams...

Events

As some of you might know, my 20^th birthday will be at the end of November. I probably won’t have time to celebrate it on the same day or even in the same week, but I’ll try to find a date that suits most of you to go out together for some mulled wine and cookies (or to get wasted and a mental blackout, if you prefer). More information on Facebook!

 

 

YOUPOST: My fight with gender binary

 Growing up in a modern family in which both parents work and gender equality has always been regarded as pivotal, I am relieved to say that I have barely had any encounters with gender binary so far. Sadly, this was not always the case in other social environments. Without wanting to offend anyone, I must admit that I noticed the most striking differences when meeting people from a different cultural background and sometimes also those with a lower level of education. For example, I gave English lessons to a guy from Chechnya who truly believed that men had the privilege of sexual liberty, whereas women were automatically denounced as unworthy of marrying if they acted the same way. Apart from his culture and educational status, I think it was the clearly hierarchical order in his own family that shaped him the most; his sister had an arranged marriage to a stranger who was chosen by her parents. Personally, it makes me shudder to come across such a narrow-minded and conservative view, but today opinions like this are still very common all over the world.

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

 

YOUPOST: otherness

 3. While the Viennese are thought of as having incorporated Otherness into their thinking as something that is beneficial to their lives, the media still portray other parts of the country as rather hostile and close-minded in this respect. As the biggest city and capital of Austria, Vienna has the highest immigration rate nationwide. Currently, about one third of its inhabitants have a migration background. Viennese people are accustomed to foreigners as they live in a multicultural melting pot. However, this cannot be said for most of the other smaller places in Austria. The immigration rates are particularly low for rural regions as they have less attractive working conditions and smaller immigrant communities than bigger cities. Therefore, the locals are not used to see many foreigners and consequently might regard them as outsiders. This trend has been noticed by nationalist parties which blame problems like the economic crisis on foreigners and as a result spread xenophobia. A good example of this case would be the states of Vorarlberg or Carinthia. There is a strong tendency to vote for right-wing parties like the FPÖ or BZÖ, despite their usage of very racist slogans. As a result, Carinthians convey an intolerant impression towards foreigners, especially during elections. In conclusion, Vienna is represented as liberal and forward-thinking because like any other metropolis, it is home to people from all over the world. Yet, the perception of smaller regions is rather negative due to people’s lack of experience and knowledge.

He looks like a proper Aryan, doesn't he?

 

YOUPOST: subversive advertisements

Here are the advertisements I chose and subverted to change their meaning.I guess the sisley ad was based on the first one from the 60s.

This is another provocative one from the sisley campaign, shooted by photographer Terry Richardson.

I am not completely sure what the first advertisement was trying to sell, but I saw a similar one on the internet in which the man was actually beating the woman because of her horrible coffee. After some more research, I found this ridiculous YouTube video with a whole series of sexist coffee commercials.

 

Court Interpreting for the EU

This afternoon, Angela Rogner, who is a graduate from the ITAT institute, gave a guest lecture on court interpreting for the European Union. She started by telling the audience about her personal life.

When Rogner was young, she started studying to become a teacher at first, but after working as a language assistant, she decided to change to interpreting studies. As foreign languages she chose English and French, but also took Spanish courses in addition. After finishing her studies in Graz, she moved to Prag where she worked as a German teacher for non-native speakers. During her stay, she seized the opportunity to learn Czech. Thanks to the fact that the Czech language has strong similarities with Slovakian, Rogner knew six languages after spending some years in Prag.

In 1999 she passed the selection procedure of the European Court of Justice and has been working as a court interpreter ever since. Being the only Austrian court interpreter at the moment, she gave me a very valuable insight into this field of work.

Apart from describing the different institutions of the Court of Justice, their purpose and functions, Rogner also recounted some witty anecdotes about situations which were difficult to handle as an interpreter and explained requirements interpreters need to comply if they want to work for the EU.

(That's the grand courtroom of the European Court of Justice. Looks impressive, doesn't it?)

If you’re interested in working for the European Court of Justice, it is definitely an advantage to know at least three languages passively, preferably one of them being French and study law or at least have some knowledge about it. According to her, the European Union encourages interpreters to learn new languages by financing language courses, professional development abroad and multicultural exchange between co-workers.

To sum up, Rogner talked about the key points of court interpreting like the organization itself, some working techniques and qualifications applicants should hold. Please keep in mind that this is only a short summary of the lasting impressions she had on me. I found her speech very inspiring and also quite interesting as I want to become an interpreter in the future.

For further information, check the following links:

• http://curia.europa.eu/

• http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/

October Favorites

Yes guys, I have a calendar and I know that it’s not October anymore, but just like last time I had to gather my thoughts. I inserted all the links in case something sparks your interest. Have fun reading!

Music

To be honest, I have been listening to all possible artists from all kinds of music styles this month. There hasn’t been a clear favorite, but I have pressed the repeat button quite often when these songs came up:  “Chelsea Dagger” by the Fratellis, “You only live once” by the Strokes and “Rebellion” by Arcade Fire.

Apps

Currently, I’m obsessed with a smart phone app called “Songpop”. Basically, it’s a game where you can choose between different music genres and guess five songs in a row against either a friend of yours or just some random person selected by the app. The faster person wins the game and gets more points which can be used to buy more music genres or a wildcard.

TV Shows

You might think it's silly, but I really like watching the X-Factor (US and UK version), especially the auditions because there is a pretty big bunch of crazy people who think that they have the voices of legends, even though they just sound awful. Naturally, the comments of frank judges like Simon Cowell are the icing on the cake!

Drinks

“Starbucks Discoveries Coffee To Go” is now purchasable at almost all Austrian supermarket chains, it’s a small consolation for not having a Starbucks coffee shop in Graz. They are chilled coffee drinks, available in the three flavors Latte Macchiato, Caramel and Mocha.  What makes them stand out from the crowd of other cooled coffees is the intense flavor and nice design. 

Food

One of my absolute favorites this month has been pumpkin soup. Generally, I have been eating a great variety of soups as winter is slowly coming and I already ended up having my first proper cold for this season.

Travel

I got to spend the long weekend from the 26^th to the 28^th of October in Zadar, a little town in Croatia, with my parents. It was great to wake up to a beautiful seaside and sunnier climes. Even though I used most of the time to finish university assignments (subtle hint) and it took us ages to get back home due to the massive traffic and snowfall, it was definitely worth it.

Sports

As everyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I’ve recently started sport shooting…and I absolutely LOVE it! The shooting classes are like some kind of self-therapy for me because you need to calm down, relax and focus on a tiny black dot which is ten meters away from you. Not that I’m a violent person, but it’s great to see the progress I make every week and I’ve already collected some of the better target sheets, because I was bursting with pride whenever I shot right into the middle.

University utensils

I bought a backpack with an owl pattern at a Spanish clothes shop named Bershka for about twenty euros. It comes in very handy when I need to carry more heavy textbooks without wanting an aching shoulder. Also, people recognize me immediately even if they only see my back ;)

When I rummaged through the boxes of the street markets in Hong Kong, I found a super cute pencil case, looking like some kind of animal. It has plenty of room for all the pencils I want to stuff into it and always has a smile left over for me during long days.  

 

 

 

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Do teenagers need a makeover?

In the depths of YouTube, I’ve recently stumbled over a show called “Make Me Over”. With Bethany Mota, a young beauty vlogger from the platform, as moderator and her “glam squad” consisting of a stylist and two hairdressers, the show is clearly targeted at girls from the ages 12 to 16. It remains untold if any of them are professionals or have at least some training.

Apparently, the team receives plenty of makeover requests from desperate female American teenagers who want to improve their outer appearance by copying the style of some celebrity. Some give reasons like wanting to change their style, an upcoming prom or having lost a lot of weight, whereas others have more serious issues. The saddest ones I’ve seen so far were requests coming from really young girls who were bullied at school because they looked too tomboyish. Hello? When I was 12, most children looked alike and there was no strict differentiation between male and female.

Personally, I think the show sets a terrible example for teenage girls with low self-esteem. Instead of encouraging them to stand up for themselves, they just doll them up with tons of makeup and cheap clothes from a trendy clothing brand. So actually shows like “Make me over” only perpetuate stereotypes and enhance the message of changing yourself to turn you into a more likeable/ popular person. Shouldn’t people accept you just the way you are?

Also, it only scratches on the surface of a far more complex problem: the effects of being brainwashed by the media. Teens are told to dress provocatively to appear all grown up. Can’t they do that ten years later? Guys, what do you think?

YOUPOST: multiculturalism — a ubiquitous issue

In times of globalization, it comes as no revelation that immigration to Europe is on the rise, however, recently German chancellor Angela Merkel claimed multiculturalism to be dysfunctional and kicked off a heated and highly recurring discussion with this plain-spoken statement. A deep-seated fear towards foreigners, regarding them as a burden for the welfare state and various other beliefs are still very common amongst the native population. Economic recession and upcoming elections are two crucial factors greatly contributing to fueling right-winged parties and abusing immigrants as scapegoats. Logically, another pivotal problematic issue is the compatibility of cultural values, religions and traditions. How do you adhere to the national culture and simultaneously retain your origins? Looking back at history, new arriving ethnic groups have always caused conflicts and struggled through a process of being accepted, adapting and dealing with identity issues. Yet, immigrants overcame those hardships gradually and contributed to a more diverse and modern society. Undoubtedly, Europe is evolving into a melting pot of different nationalities and the home of many multicultural generations to come. 

[word count: 175]

 

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Another novel that has been read all over the world has recently fallen into my hands. Fifty Shades of Grey is the story of the innocent, average literature studies student graduate Anastasia Steel and rich sadist Christian Grey. The first really remarkable trait which popped into my eye, was the writing style which had a strong resemblance to Twilight. And that’s how the whole fiasco started. I wasn’t particularly thrilled to find similarities between those two books. It seems like E.L. James was heavily inspired by Stephenie Meyer or to put it bluntly: she copied her.

The basic idea is more or less the same crap in blue, green or whatever color you wish. It’s about this incredible handsome rich bachelor who acts all mysterious and has this enigmatic aura and therefore seems to be pretty unreachable, BUT one day he does fall for some random average girl. Turns out that this time the guy isn’t a vampire. No, he’s just some perverted sadist who really likes to hurt women because of his twisted orphan background. Well, apart from that, the love story is flawless, I’d say. Naturally, Grey tries his best to overcome this obstacle with his beloved one, but apparently it takes them three novels to solve the issue. I’m still a bit unsure whether I should buy the rest of the trilogy as I’m assuming that it will turn out to be this typical cliché happy end.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Come to think of it, I truly expected a lot more from a bestseller! Honestly, it really lacks substance and depth. Some woman comes up with the idea of writing a vividly described love story (slash soft porn) and the public is all of a tizzy. I guess the majority of readers were just curious about the whole sadomasochism concept, but really — it’s not that special. 

To sum up, I would characterize “Fifty Shades of Grey” as another piece of trash pop literature which people like to read when they dawdle away at the airport, while waiting for their flight to board or in a doctor’s waiting room.

 

YOUPOST: Red State Blue State

Watching the red state vs. blue state videos by Dr.Seuss, was not only good for a laugh, but also for educational purposes. Instead of facts and figures, which usually would have been a bit dull and dry, the producers created a nice cartoon story for children. Dr. Seuss’ work was easy to follow, clearly structured and humorous. Even though both videos were exaggerated to the point of ludicrousness, these biased views actually added a fun factor to the explanation.However, young children may not understand the humor as there is the possibility that they take all the statements seriously. The Republicans are described as devout rednecks that are against foreigners and change, whereas the Democrats are depicted as artistic, homosexual hippies who do not love their nation enough. These statements clearly allude to the existing stereotypes and clichés for each party. Apart from hearing a lot of insults, I also learned some new things while watching the videos. For example, I did not know that Fox News was a supporter of the Republicans, while HBO preferred the Democrats. Naturally, as I see myself as liberal and forward-thinking, I favor the Democrats and their ideals. On the whole, the videos helped me to get the gist of both parties and a deeper understanding of American politics.