Hectic Day

It has been a busy day today. Non stop emails and some escalations. I am now slowing getting into my role. So far so good. I am still liking it.

Tomorrow, I plan to do some shopping since this is my last weekend here before I return to KL for a month! YAY! I can't wait to go back to my cosy little room and home cook food. Also can't wait to see my family and friends. There is so much I wanna eat when I am back - Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai, Bah Kut Teh, Pan Mee, Wan Tan Mee and the list goes on.

I will also be heading to Bangkok for 5 days. March is going to be a great month and I am looking forward to it!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Zone Meeting

There were more of us around!

My company holds the best annual zone events. This year I attended the zone meeting in Hamburg which was held on 20 March 2008. During this time, I was able to meet all my colleagues across Europe. It is always nice to put faces to names. There were some of them who I had not met for months and it was a nice opportunity to catch up.

The day started of at 11am where everyone gathered at Atlantis hotel. We were allowed to the hall at 12 am where we had buffet lunch. It was followed by the conference meeting. Unlike any other conference, we were required to break into groups and conduct a couple of activities. Also, we had cool emcees who took the effort to dress up.

After the speech from our head, we were required to brainstorm a initiative to make my company a world class organisation. Afterwhich we were required to make a painting of how we see my company in 5 years. I thought my team's picture was quite good. But the team who won derserved it as they had a beautiful story to support their picture. The last activity was to install furniture from IKEA which will be sent to a home for the homeless.

The fun part was dinner as we visited a Bavarian restaurant. There were plenty of pork and beer. I totally enjoyed the roast pork. The skin was so crispy and yummy. We did alot of dancing too. Latin dancers were hired for 2 short performances and also to teach the group a couple of move. Benny and I were not following any of the instructions and dance whatever we wanted too. Hahaha.

We continued to party till 12.00am then we decided to head home. It was a long day and we were tired. All in all, it was a good day and I enjoyed myself =)

The beer I am holding is so SO so good!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Hansestadt Hamburg Hash House Harriers Hummel Hummel (H7)

Hamburg Hash (H7)

Today I joined the Hamburg hash in Neuwiedenthal. We gathered near the train station 2pm and startred off with a beer. The group was not big; there were only 9 of us. I understand that there is usually more hasher in summer. The weather was nice and sunny but it was rather windy.

Once everyone arrived and have their drinks, we headed to the woods. This is a whole new experience as we usually run in the rubber estate or oil palm plantation back in Malaysia. The run was conducted slightly different compared to Malaysia. First and foremost, the trail is marked with flour rather than paper which I need getting used to as it is not as obvious as paper trial.

Secondly, there is Beer Stops along the way where everyone gathers and takes a short beer break. Other than that, everything is pretty much the same. The songs and the drinking are consistent world wide.

It was an hours run then we gathered at the circle and have a couple more of drinks and some snacks. Of course, since I was the new comer, was pulled to the centre of the circle and had a couple of drinks. It was all good. We headed home at 5.30pm.

I highly recommend Hash House Harriers to everyone. You must at least experience it once.

Background:

I was exposed to the Hash House Harriers (HHH) by my parents. They met in the HHH and when my brother and I came to this world, they took us to the hash as soon as we could run. Even though I was young and does not understand half of the adult jokes back then, I always enjoyed the hash.

I enjoyed the whole running in the tropical jungle experience and it is a good means of exercise.

Further information

The Hamburg Hash runs every 2 weeks in locations which are accessible via the public transportation. For those interested to join Hamburg Hash, you can get further information from there website.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Night out with the boys

Last weekend (16 Feb), I explored a different night scene in Sternschanze where it is popular among students. The reason for this night out was to celebrate a birthday of a colleague. We met up at around 10.45pm and started walking to the bar.

It us approximately 15-20 minutes walk to arrive at Bar Rossi. It was already packed like sardine when we arrived. The bar had a pretty modern interior with red lighting. It was quite nice with the chill out music playing at the background.

Our night started off here where we had a couple of drinks and chit-chat here and there. After which we headed to the club located upstairs of the building called 13th floor and apparently this club only opens once every four weeks. And because it only opens once every four weeks, load of poeple were queueing to enter the club.

We had to stand outside in the cold to just enter the club. It is not something I would do back in KL. After a 15-20 minutes wait, we finally face the door bitch where we paid 6 euros entrance fee. I was rather disappointed with the interior. I expected a fancy place since I had to wait to enter. It has a basic interior, nothing too fancy like KL.

Here, we continue our drinking and dancing. They were playing retro music which was my cup of tea. Despite the simple interior I was happy with the overall club since the crowd was cool and the music was nice.

At around 3 am we decided to head to the birthday boy’s apartment as he was still freaking sober. It is a tradition to get the birthday boy drunk. So, we continue drinks back in the apartment where we all had a couple of shots. The birthday boy had to double his shots! Yes, we were not letting him go at all. By 4.30am, we successfully accomplished our mission and the birthday lay to rest in his bedroom.

Check out our shots!

I got home close to 5 am and stayed home the next day to recuperate. It was all good fun.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Lifestyle in Hamburg

A month as passed since I left for Germany. For the last month I noticed that my lifestyle has changed tremendously. It has changed in a positive way of course.

Let start off with reading. I am doing way more reading compared to before. Now, I usually pick up the book before heading to bed. I just finished a booked called “Confession of a Working Girl” which share some light about the lifestyle of a prostitute. It is quite interesting actually. I will be starting on my next book called “Marley & me”. So, more reading indeed.

Other than that, I am totally up to date to the world’s event. Since most of the movies are in German, I am resorted to watch BBC which I seldom do back home (we have so many other more interesting channels). I am following the race between Hillary and Obama. They are neck to neck and the last I head, Obama is gaining momentum. As for me, I would like to see Hillary represent the Democrat. It will be nice to see woman run America and besides, she been in the game long enough to run the country.

OK, enough of boring politics. Other than that, I learnt cooking. I was so pampered with my mom’s cooking back home that I never bother to learn to cook. I find cooking quite fun actually.

Tasty Bacon Fried Rice

Fried Bananas - A perfect afternoon snack

In addition, I walk a lot more here. The weather permits walking unlike Malaysia where it is too freaking hot to walk. Besides, walking, I take the public transportation. At least I am doing my small part in saving the environment.

All in all, my lifestyle has become healthier.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Hamburg: My observations

People:
The people in Hamburg are friendly even though they may appear reserved at first. They are willing to offer you a helping hand whenever they can. Even though some of them do not speak English fluently, they will try their very best to provide assistance. So, don’t be shy to ask questions.

There are a lot more women smokers here. I have seen mothers smoking in front of their children which I don’t condone as it is unhealthy for the child. Other than that, there aren't much obese people here. I guess it is because they are all pretty active. You will see alot of people walking and cycling. As a result, most of them are all in the healthy weight bracket unlike other cities I have visited.

In terms of working environment, they like it to be really quiet. Pure silence meaning no noise unless necessary – phone calls or discussions. I was told to hush (very politely) when I was humming to my favorite song. I know a lot of us in KL do that and no one bothers.

Quick Tip:
Keep quiet in the office. Prevent from singing or humming!
If you are in a short discussion, close your door else you might risk bothering the next occupant in the next room.

Pets:
The dogs here are so well behave. They follow their masters to the restaurant, shops and practically everywhere. I have seen that master cycling or jogging and the pet dog will obediently follow its master by the side. They are also very friendly and clean. Remarkable! We don’t see much of this in KL.

It was an interesting sight to see the pet and the master having their dinner in the restaurant. The dog will indulge in its meal while its master has his meal with is date.

I love dogs and it’s nice to see so many of them and so well taken care off. I just wonder how they train their dogs not to poo or pee in restaurant and shops. That would not be very pleasant if that happens.

Weather:
It rains most of the time and the sky turns dark by 5pm. Enough said.


Public Transportation:
Efficient is the word to describe the public transportation in Hamburg. I have never experience a late bus or train. It usually arrives exactly on the time stated on the board. This is a plus point for me as I hate waiting. I wish Malaysia would pick up this system.

The buses have special lanes and sometimes you do see them driving on against traffic.

Walking:
Do follow the indicators to cross or not to cross the roads. A fine of 10 euros (if I am not mistaken) is imposed for those who caught jay walking.

Bare in mind to walk on your right side as the bicycle lane is usually on the left. Numerous times I was walking on the wrong lane and was given a soft bicycle ring =)

Quick Tips:
The red tiles on the floor usually means bicycle lane.

Food & Drinks:

Asian food seems to be a popular cuisine here. You can find an Asian restaurant at every corner, similar to a sausage stand.

Without a doubt, Germany does have very good sausages. You can get them from any groceries stores and also at the sausage stand suck as Mo Grill.

Beers here are cheap. You can get a 6 pack for 3 euros. The alcohol here are significantly cheaper compared to Malaysia.

Driving:
The Germans drive on the other side of the road. Meaning they drive on the left hand side. It can be a bit confusing when you just arrive but eventually you get used to it. I still look both ways before I cross the road just to ensure that I don’t get the knocked down.


Shops:
Most shops close at 8pm. However, you do find some stores like Penny Mart and personal owned sundry stores that have later opening hours.

TV:
Most of the movies showed on the TV are in Deutsch. Even though they play Hollywood movies and series, it is translated to Deutsch. The only English channels are BBC, CNN, CNBC and MTV. After 12 am, adult movies are played.

Night life:
Pubs here do not have any curfew unlike Malaysia which has to close at 3.00am. The locals usually party hard on Fridays and Saturdays. You will find the popular streets of Reeperbahn and St Pauli packed with people.

It is normal to see people walking around with their own mix of alcohol in a mineral bottle. I guess its cheaper this way. Others drink before they head to the pubs.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Asian Supermarket

Finally, after 3 weeks I found myself an asian supermarket. It is located near Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (Lange Reihe 1-5).

I love this place because I can find most of the asian stuff here. There were spices, noodles, milo, soya sauce and others. They even sell a wok fo 10 euros. Might consider getting one if I am planning to cook very often.

Some of the item that I bought are oyster sauce (yay! finally found them), curry paste, sesame oil, noodle, coconut milk and also some ginger. I am definately going to visit this shop again.

Looks like my kitchen is now equipped with key ingredients for asian cuisine. =D

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Night out in St Pauli

I finally checked out the Hamburg's night life which is quite different compared to KL. Though my office is located in St. Pauli, the atmosphere during Friday night was so different compared to the day.

Similar to KL, the night life began around 11.00pm but unlike KL where pubs are required to close at 3 am, the pubs here open till wee hours. Our night started out with a bottle of beer. It is great that I can walk around with a bottle in my hand without being alcoholic.

We started the night by walking from St Pauli down to Reeperbahn. Along the way, we dropped by a popular sex shop. This shop has everything. From porn to costumes, vibrators to fetish toys. Whatever you want, they got it. I felt abit uneasy when I saw the hardcare bondage masks and body suit. It feels so suffocating just by looking at it. Other than that, it is cool to see all the various toys available. Some of which I do not know the functionality.

After the sex shop, we entered our 1st pub which play pretty good music. Well, mine kinda music at least. We had a beer and a shot. Did some dancing and it was time to move on to the next pub. This time we were at the red like district. We checked out a couple of strip club which generally cost around 20-30 euros. We decided not to pop in as I thought I wait for Benny. I am also thinking of bringing my brother there =P. Girls, please do not wear a pouch, because only working girls do so. You do not want to be mistaken to be working.

Next off, we dropped by a pub where a all drinks cost 0.99 euros. Here we had another beer and a strawberry shot which was really good. The place is freaking packed. It a spot where the german binge drink and move on. That was exactly what we did.

We arrived at our final pub and enjoyed a game of kickers (the German calls futsball, "kickers"). There was a bunch of young german chaps who wanted to play with us. Joe and I teamed up and kick their ass. We were so happy that we won. It was like Malaysia vs Germany! We should have put some wager on the table.

After the 3rd pub, it was already 3-something a.m and we were famished. We then head to a nearby pizza parlour to end the night. I got home at 4 a.m and I didn't suffer from any hangover =).

Sorry there is no pictures as I was busy partying and forgot to snap a few shots. Next time, maybe.

Quick Tips:

• I noticed if you want to be popular among the chaps in Germany, make sure you can drink loads of beer and play kickers! =P

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Refining my cooking skills.

Today's I prepared the best dinner ever. I cooked chicken and mushroom soup and fried vegetable with oyster sauce. Everything turned out as planned. I am so proud of myself. This is is by far the best meal even though it looks so simple. It is what I would have if I was back home in Malaysia. Home cook food are always the best.

This week I will be cooking quite abit as I need to sharpen my cooking skill before Benny comes over the following week. I already promise I will cook something for him.

Next in my cook list are red curry, spaghetti carbonara and bacon fried rice. Keep pur finger crossed that it will turn out okay.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Laundry Disaster

I am going to share with your my first experience doing my laundry. My apartment does not have a washing machine and the tenant in the apartment shares a common laundry area. I was aware that it will cost me 2 euros per wash, so I decided to accumulate 3 weeks of dirty clothes to ensure that I have a full load ( I wanted to maximise my 2 euros wash).


To start off, it may not be that smart to accumulate so much laundry as it was bloody heavy to carry it. When I was in the laundry room, I started stuffing all my dirty clothes into the washing machine and I was happy that my estimate was correct as the washing machine could not take anything more. I followed the steps displayed on the wall to get the wasing machine running - turn on water, soap powder, select washing mode, insert coins and push start. Everything seems to be going on fine as I saw the washing machine begin to spin.




However, when I return to collect my laundry, I noticed my white jacket and socks were stained! You can notice from the picture that is is blue-ish now. Only then I rememeber my mom's advise to seperate my white clothes when doing laundry! Oh well, lesson learnt.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Welcoming the year of the Rat

This is the very first year that I am celebrating Chinese New Year away from home. As predicted, I was rather home sick because I am missing out my favourite dishes and cookies. Calling home didn't make it any better as I can hear the fireworks and the noisy celebration in the background. When I called home the second time, my idiotical brother couldn't not recognise my voice! What the hell, I am only gone for 3 weeks!

Anyways, my chinese new year dinner in Hamburg didn't turn out as bad as I thought. Joe and I went to Felix's apartment to cooked up some asian cuisine. As I entered his apartment, I could smell the rice cooking. Hmmmm, a good start already. After which, we prepared a curry dish. Felix was the chef while Joe and I were kitchen helpers.

Ingredients

I was surprised to see how equipped his kitchen is. He has the various asian spices and sauces such as lemon grass, fish sauce, soya sauce, palm sugar, cili padi and the list goes on. He even found black fungus!!! I felt so at home when I saw these spices and food. The smell was so fragant. I think it is also work mentionining that he has a wok! It is a complete asian kitchen! Yay!

The meat curry

The vegetarian curry (check out the black fungus)

Felix cook us a Thai curry - one with meat and the other vegetarian - which were really good. We had it with rice and noodles. So so yummy. I am definately going over for more. After dinner, we enjoyed our beers and went through some of his travel pictures. We left around 11pm as we had to work the next.


Not bad for the first Chinese New Year away from the family. I am very lucky to be able to meet a German who can cook good asian food.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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My Journey To Work

This entry basically brings you through my daily journey to work. Firstly, there is the 5 minutes walk to the bus stop where I have to wait for the next bus to the underground. The bus is very efficient and punctual. I usually have to wait for 5 minutes max. Below are some pictures of my walk to the bus stop.

The bus stop

Once I board the bus, it will take me to the nearest train station. The train is also as efficient and punctual as the train. Again, I will have to wait another 5 minutes to catch the next train.

The train station.

The office is just located opposite the St. Pauli train station.

In summary, I have to take a bus and the train to bring me to the office. It usually takes me 20 minutes to get to the office.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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3rd Attempt to Cook

This is my third attempt to cook and I believe I have improved tremendously. I cooked spaghetti bolognese with meat and mushroom. It turned out quite well indeed. The taste was alright but it is definately not at par compared to my mom's pasta. But it is a good start =D

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Surprise Gift!

Today morning, my colleague message me and said that he had something for me from Southampton and it is from Benny. I was so excited that I dropped whatever I was doing and head to his desk to retrieve my package. To my surprise, Benny got me an early Valentine's gift! YaY!

I always wanted to buy this perfume but I never come around in doing so. It is a prefect present. I love it.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Fischmarkt

Every Sunday morning, the Fischmarkt (fish market)opens from 5am- 10pm. As the name implies, it is a market where the fishmonger proudly display their fishes fresh from the port. What usually happens is that the Germans party till wee in the morning then visit the market. As for me, I skipped the partying portion and woke up early to pay the market a visit.

The best route to the Fischmarket is to take the train to Reeperbehn or Landungsbruken then there is a short walk. When I arrived at the market, I can feel the vibrant energy of the surrounding. It is similar to our morning market in Malaysia where you can find fruits, vegetables and clothes.

As I arrived at 9.15am, each stall were slashing the prices of their goods so that they can clear their stock by 10.00am. You can hear each market trader screaming out loud the prices of their goods. It is therefore best to visit the market at 9am + so that you can get the best bargain. Prices of the stuff here is relatively cheaper compare to the prices in the sundry stores in the city. Only problem is that it is sold in bulk.

What I bought (all of which I shared with my colleague, Joe):

• A crate of mushrooms for 4 euros
  
• A huge bundle for grapes for 2 euros
  

Quick tip:
Do not ask the prices of the fish without buying else you will have the fishmonger shouting at you. (I experienced that today)


After buying all the stuff we needed, we headed to the old fish auction hall. The hall houses several beer stands, finger food both with live music and you will see people dancing in front. The band was playing really good music. Among the song they played was Proud Mary and some more CCR songs. I can imagine my dad loving this place as it plays his type of music accompanied with BEER.


Taking about beer, this is the first time drinking beer in the morning. If I do it in Malaysia, I will look like an alcoholic but it is normal here. It was such a nice glass of beer! Totally enjoyed every sip of it.

Old fish auction hall

Also, the fischmart is located by the harbour and therefore, you can also enjoy the great view.

This is a perfect place to start your Sunday evening. I will definately be one of the frequent visitors.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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2nd weekend in Hamburg

I am currently looking out of my window and blogging. There is a hail storm, which was the reason why I came home to earlier. It is cold and wet out there.

Anyways, I visited St Jocobi today. I didn’t enter the church because I got distracted with all the winter discount. At the end, I just took a picture and went window shopping. Ok, I lied, I did get myself something such as leggings which cost 2.90 euros – way cheaper than in KL and hat for 1 euro! I could not resist. Besides, it was cold and raining outside. It is fair to spend 1 euro to keep warm.

My plan is to return to the church again, the next time I will enter and take some pictures of the interior. I think it is best that I do some sight seeing that is far away from the shopping area. Being a shopaholic is it hard to resist the temptation to shop. I am proud that I managed to resist buying more boots and jacket!

When I got some from my shopping + minor sight seeing, I decided to cook lunch as I was starving. This time around, everything went smoothly. I cooked friend indo mee with luncheon mean, vege and eggs. Not bad for my second time! WooHoo, I am improving!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Its snowing!

It snowed today and the weather is freaking cold. I need to put on my thermal from now on. Picture above was taken on my train ride home from the cold!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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