Back To December

As today's class is somehow cancelled, I think I just want to share some photos from last December. Ive told you that I didn't go much when it came to weekend. I just went to one (or two) Christmas Market(s). But this Christmas Market had unique concept. It's located beside Rhein river in Cologne, therefore the concept was like a harbour.
Another event which i went to (and sort of organised) was an event called Nachtwächter Stadtführung. So we were wandering around Aachen in the middle of night with a tour guide who wore a special costume and was specially designed to tell us the history of Aachen. It should've been interesting. However it was held in German language and it felt like we were having additional lecture in night, so I didn't really focus. Instead I was quite anxious that we would miss the last train to go back home.

Cologne Harbour Christmas Market (i hope this is the right translation). 

 Cool ink to write but it's quite expensive and I'm not sure what I will write with that. 

 I would say that I have a thing for cute foodtruck, so maybe one day I would invest to have one.

 Fortune teller. It's quite tempting, but I was thinking that once I know what will happen, it won't surprise me anymore. (Another alibi for saying, I'm quite afraid of someone telling me what I will be next. What if it's a bad one?) 

Aachen Nachtwächter Stadtführung.

 Part of the tour guide's costume.

 She couldn't stop talking and moving, hence all photos of her were blurry. 

Kudos to my friend for taking most photos in Nachtwächter Stadtführung as well as suggesting to use sepia tone.

Brussels: I Won't Get Mad For Being Fat Because Of Waffels

This is the Belgium trip post (well, would be better to call it as Brussels trip). My friend visited me for new year, and I had no idea where to take her for New Year's Eve in Germany. So why not going to Belgium? We got a good deal for Thalys ticket and it's actually the same price as to bring her to Cologne or Düsseldorf (and couldn't back to home later since there's no train after midnight to my little 'village').

So, anyway, it's just one and half day. The most memorable part is of course the New Year's Eve. The reason is not that it had beautiful fireworks, because in fact... we didn't see it.

We went too early to city center because the Christmas Market would be closed at 6. But actually we didn't visit the Christmas Market. We just bought food there and then wandering around and around until we got nowhere to go. It's still 5 hours left and we felt that the clock was ticking sooooo slow.

It's raining and cold. And after realising that one minute felt like one hour, we decided to go back to hotel. And then at around 11 pm we went back to city center. I read in internet that there were three spots to look at fireworks. Bourse, Grand Place and Mont Des Arts. They said it would be shot from Mont Des Arts. But I thought Grand Place would be okay to see it.

So we waited. It was too cold and too slow.We just wished it's 12 a.m already and we could go back to hotel. But when it's finally 12 a.m, there was nothing... because we actually waited at wrong place. I don't know whether it's the website's fault or the organizer that didn't shoot the fireworks so high, because all the buildings were covering the fireworks. All people who waited in Grand Place were as disappointed as us. Then we tried running to catch up with fireworks. And it brought us not many luck. So in the end, we just went back to hotel, laughing (I don't know if my friend was actually mad because of it or not since she spent the last New Year's Eve in London. which obviously so awesome...) And we saw the New Year's Eve celebration in London via hotel's TV.

Next day was filled with wandering around. We went to Atomium and then again, Grand Place and around. Brussels is quite small. And we tried to follow the comic strip route. It's a nice trip for me, since it's first time for me to visit Brussels.  I hope it's a good enough trip for my friend too.

Then the reason i put the title like that, is because I basically ate waffels for breakfast, french fries for lunch, and waffels again for dinner (plus Popmie). Yeay!

First time stepping at Brussels. I think the buildings kinda seem like in Paris.

 And there are like cute shops everywhere, selling chocolates,  cookies and also cute cafes. I'm loving it.

 The only fireworks we could see (looks cool, eh?) versus the one in London below. 

 Just a breakfast at Atomium (and the car selling it was so cute).

 One of the comic strips from comic strip route. 

And I also love how they have so many secondhand bookstores (though the languages are mostly French and Dutch). But it's cute! Too bad I had spent too much money buying novels in the Netherlands again. 

Belated Happy New Year

Happy new year 2014! I know, I know, it's so late. My bad. But just like last year, I want to make a short kaleidoscope for 2013 now. So, here we go!

January:
Time for exams. All I can remember is it's my first exams for college and I freaked out. We were also going out shopping every weekend. And I'm starting to be more girly, I guess.

February:
Snowing, snowing everyday until you got sick of it (well, yeah, I still prefer snowing than summer however...)

I dyed my hair purple. I re-dyed it in November/December but it turned out so fail that my hair is so brown like being burnt.

Oh and I started doing internship for three months. It was hard, yet fun, yet hard. I remember I was stressing upon it especially since I was always the last one to finish the task being handled.

And I also went to Hamburg with my college fellas. It was such a nice city and I checked two goals in life: riding an air balloon, and going to a miniature museum.

Then the next day there's also a so big carneval in Cologne. It was so awesome for me to finally participating (and lil bit dressing up with a new bear-hat).

March: 
I had my holiday in the end of March and I spent a week together with my boyfriend in The Hague. It's fun of course. It's like I'm getting to know him more than in high school. We took one day trip to Amsterdam and there's a fair. And again, another goals in life checked.

I also bought a lot of book, and getting more motivated to write (though, in the end, I put my unfinished draft in unknown folder in my laptop. Never looking back).

April: 
I forget. I think it's more about studying. But I was also waiting for spring that had came late and we were sick with too cold weather.

May: 
Finally, spring! First time seeing cherry blossom. But highlight of the month was of course going to Paris! Yeah another goal in life being checked. 

June:
My birthday. And suddenly it's summer. I hate summer for letting all insects and snails pop out of nowhere. My junior high school friend visited and I never thought that even though we hadn't seen each other for a year, we would still so easily reconnect. The first night of her staying was filled with nonstop gossiping and laughter. And the next day, she insisted to visit Zitadelle (a fort) that I never thought I would visit in my city. 

My boyfriend also had short trip to visit me before he went back to Indonesia (and I was still stuck in Germany for exams, unfortunately).

July: 
I was little bit crazy with exams and hot weather. And another thing was packing to move to a new house. I was about to start a new chapter after all (after holiday, though).

August: 
So yeah, finishing my college. Finally! I went back to Indonesia. What I had been waiting for since last year, right?

September:
We had Singapore trip to catch up with my senior high school friends. And then I must back to Germany, to start a new chapter.

October: 
Time to adapt with university. I was overwhelmed with how all my new friends are German and the lectures and Praktikum are held in German language and I couldn't even speak properly.

November:
It was more about adapting in university, until we didn't really go out in weekend because i just want to stay at home the whole day. Relaxing. I think we only went out when we had to manage a mass for KMKI (yeah, I got involved in it in June and it's fun, so far).

December: 
It's Christmas time! I made a short visit to spend the Christmas with my boyfriend before he went back again to Indonesia. And then I spent the New Year's Eve with my high school friend who visited me in Germany. We went to Brussels for two days, (and the photos will be catching up later).

Overall, 2013, I would like to say, is the first year that is real. I mean, it still went so fast. But I could feel that every month in 2013 had something for me. A new thing to experience. A new thing to learn. It's not just a month has passed and I don't know anything in the end of the year. Moreover, I was also somehow able to check my goals in life (that I previously didn't realise it existed -- though it's not a 'serious goal' anyway) in an unexpected way.

So, welcome 2014! I know there's still one resolution (and I think you all also know) that I couldn't check in 2013. I really hope I could do it this year. And plus, one more resolution, is of course  to pass all the exams. (Still the same, isn't it?) Cheers!