Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Little Confidence Helps

I started this new blog (sorry, the world wide web contains tons of my blogs already, most are already forgotten sites via Weebly and Wordpress). The blog has the URL of http://cykocht.blogspot.com (after thousand times of experimenting on lots of blogsites, I came to realize that Blogger is the best free blogsite so far, and I am sticking to it). This blog is intended as a recipe site. It is not because I am a good cook or whatever but rather for me to have a place where I put on my experimented dishes so that in time, I can go back to it and alter some steps or ingredients to improve its taste. If I have it published publicly, maybe somebody would stumble upon it and try it themself and criticize it, in that way I will be able to see where I went wrong as a cook.

I could say that this new blog is full of CONFIDENCE. Not just because I boldly share to the world some of my experimented dishes, but also because I am writing the introduction, ingredients and the procedure in GERMAN. One reason is that I do not know the terms of some ingredients in English (I never cooked before, Germany made me do it!) and since I am in Germany, I get to know these ingredients in German and if I am asked to translate it, they ask me to translate it to Filipino and not English. So there, I have to write it in German even if I am completely aware that my German still sucks (but they said I am better now, I don't believe them 100% though that's why am going back to language school after summer). I have also thought that if I start to write more in German, then I can learn this language faster and be more comfortable with it. I remember in my grade school days, I would write lots of poems and essays in English. My private teacher would read some of it but when I got more independent and needed no more private teacher, I wrote these for myself and when I was already in high school, I corrected my own works and it was surprising to find that as time goes by, each of my work improves on its own, without anyone actually helping me to write them (I always wrote down the dates and the location where I wrote them just like how blogging is nowadays). So I decided to do the same trick with my German learning. I am no longer shy to use the language more each day at every way possible.

I hope that most of you would care to visit it as well. I have added a "Translate" gadget on it to aid non-German speakers.

*as of this writing there is only one post there yet, the next recipe is still in progress.*

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Lord Is Always With Us

I thank Him for protecting my husband yesterday from a big possibility of accident.

He drove yesterday to work without checking his car. Well, for short distance travels and going to work, we don't really check our car before leaving. But as soon as he made his turn from the garage, he heard a loud "bang!" (I was still asleep when he left), but he thought it was just the jug of water at the compartment. So he drove off. He drove at 130-140 kph from house to the Autobahn for almost half an hour when he noticed that the car is somewhat unstable and swerves. He took the exit twice shorter than his usual exit. At the traffic light, he alighted the car and checked the rear of the car. The tyres seems to be fine as he checks. He kicked the left rear tyre and it was fixed. He went to the right rear tyre and kicked it too, it moved. The light turned green, and he thought to himself, I'll check when I get to the office. And drove 10km more with a swerving car. Upon arrival at the office, he made a closer look at his car. He bent down and voila! That thing (sorry, I am not so technical when it comes to car) that holds the tyres is broken. As in it is hanging down to the ground. He called on the mechanic at the other side of the office and asked for help. They drove his car to the garage and on the way, the right tyre went completely loose.

He called me and told me about it. I was so thankful that the Lord saved him. I imagined him driving at 140kph and then if he did not took the early exit, and continued driving at 140, only God knows what might have happened next!

Even if my husband is a non-believer of my God, He protected him from a possible danger. It is because He sees how supportive my husband is for my religious practice. He drives for me when I go to the church. He respects me when it is time for me to say a prayer. The Lord is a just God, He protects and saves all His creations, regardless of their beliefs, as long as He sees that these people are kind and caring towards His other creations.

Thank you, my Lord. You are the greatest! :)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

I Am So Lucky!

I am so lucky to have my husband. There has no other guy in this world who understands my tantrums and my insecurities better than him. He accepts me despite all my flaws and helps me go through all these difficulties as a foreigner. I am so happy that I met him and I have him for the rest of my life.

I just wanted the world to know how much I am blessed to have my husband, the one who never lets me down and accepts me for who I am.

I love Mr. Uwe Wussow so much! I am so proud to have him as my husband! :)

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Ausländers Problem: Finding New Friends

Officially, I am 9 months and five days here in Germany. I admit, I still do not have someone who I can call my "new friend." I still hang out most of the time with my husband. I tried to follow a fellow Expat Blog forumer's advice in order to get going here: to register on various international forums and sites and meet up with people there. I did, I am a member of Expat Blog, InterNations, Philippinen Portal Forum, and Pinay in Deutschland group page on Facebook. I receive lots of meet up invites, especially thru InterNations, but I have not yet gone into one. My husband is totally supportive about this, but it is I who have a problem.

You may wonder whether I have friends back in my homeland. Of course I do, but those people I consider as friends would only sum up to 50 maximum. Contrary to what they say, that Filipinos are friendly people, I admit I am not. These friends of mine, I became friends with them because they never stopped winning me as their friend. They are the ones who first approached me, talked with me, asked me questions. Even if my answers would only consist of about 2 to 5 words, they never stopped until the time we are already comfortable with each other and they already tell me to shut up because I talk too much. That is how I get friends, I just sit at one corner and let time pass me by, allowing people to talk with me. Only the persistent and patient ones became my friends, others are just acquaintances.

I am sitted in a new corner in my new country. I am patiently waiting for new people who would pass by to talk with me. However, they are not Filipinos, they are not as patient and friendly as the people back in my homeland, that's one reason why my husband insists that I stand and walk into the crowd and introduce myself. But I know I cannot do that, else I will faint. I do not have such gift, I am not Miss Congeniality.

I guess I have to endure longer until I find a job. It is because I get to meet new friends when I am at work or at school, but I never get to win friends just around my community, it is because they have totally different interests and they get easily bored on me.

Maybe other foreigners do not experience this same problem I am in right now. But honestly, this is killing me. I do not know what can I do with myself to find new friends. I want to have new friends, but I do not know how to start good conversations and how to trust them. It is just that I had been through a lot and I got traumatized on trusting people because they always end up abusing my kindness and generosity.

I am thankful though that my husband is helping me through all these.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Tips When Buying Films (Especially Hollywood Films)

I am somewhat a film addict. However, I must admit I do not really like all. But when one film catches my interest, I wanted to own it so that I can watch it anytime I want. My husband is also the same. We both like some Hollywood films, the only difference is, he wanted to see it in German rather than in original English. I can understand him because he has no formal English training and it would be difficult to understand the context when you do not speak the language. Hence, I decided to scout some films that I love and let him watch it too so that he'll understand a part of me. And we do it too vice versa.

For some films I am lucky enough that the German companies retained the English titles such as 50 First Dates, Shrek, Hop, Hangover, Rat Race, etc. or directly translates the title from English to German such as My Best Friend's Wedding (Hochzeit meines besten Freundes), Bruce Almighty (Bruce Allmächtig), Pink Panther (Rosa Panther), The Devil Wears Prada (Der Teufel trägt Prada) and more.

The problem starts when the title is translated indirectly. Like today, I was searching for Naked Weapon DVD because I wanted my husband to see this. I searched throughout the DVD shelves in Media Markt for something with the words "Naked Weapon" or "Nackte Waffe" or whatever with either of the words nackte or Waffe. I failed to find it. All I saw were Lethal Weapon and Naked Fears but none of those phrases on my mind. So we ended up buying films that my husband loves so much and I am totally unaware of, namely Donnie Darko and Spiel Mir Das Lied vom Tod.

While watching Spiel Mir Das Lied vom Tod, the screen flashed me totally different words when I played it in English. Then it occurred to me: the original title of this film is Once Upon A Time In The West. It was indirectly translated!!! It made me think how "Once Upon A Time In The West" that for a simple mind should have been translated as "Es War Einmal Im Westen" was translated to "Spiel mir Das Lied vom Tod" (or in English means "Play Me The Song from Dead")? The harmonica answered my question (I will not say more, if you have watched it, you know what I mean and if not, I suggest that you watch it, it is indeed a good film!).

Because of that, I turned to Google for answers why I cannot find my other favorite films or why I sometimes after reading the title I think I haven't seen that film yet but once I watch it, I end up saying "yeah, I've seen it already!". Here are some answers:

1. Naked Weapon is actually Drei Todesengel in geheimer Mission (Three Deadly Angels in a Secret Mission)
2. Closer is Hautnah (Skin Near?!?)
3. Get Me To The Greeks is Männertrip (Men's Trip?!?!)
4. Hall Pass is Alles Erlaubt - Eine Woche Ohne Regeln (All Allowed -Week Without Rules)
5. Just Go With It is Meine Erfundene Frau (My finally-found- Woman?!?)

...And so much more!

Lesson learned: check the net first for German titles before hitting the store because not all titles are directly translated. Searching the titles first can save you from headache and time.