Manchester derby

Not quite as impressive as the result Manchester City got when playing away at Manchester United earlier in the season - but then 1:6 was always going to be difficult to top.
1:0 was enough tonight for Man City to go top of the premier league, equal points with Man United but with a better goal difference. Only two more games to play before the end of the season.

Can they do it??
Mancini had given up hope a little while ago. Will he change his mind now?

Something blue and something new

I can be a bit slow on the uptake. A bit less than five years ago, I finally treated myself to an ipod. Which I love dearly to this year. Commuting to work was suddenly transformed by being able to listen to music and laughing about Ricky Gervais' podcasts. It has taken me nearly five years though to get a decent pair of headphones to go with the snazzy ipod. I always blamed the noisy Jubilee line for not being able to properly hear Karl Pilkington. Turns out that the earphones provided by apple are just not very powerful.

So, FINALLY:

Isn't the blue beautiful?!

Hopefully no more knotted cable... I am keeping my lovely red ipod though!

Be careful what you wish for

I hate waiting. I thought not knowing is worse than knowing.
Turns out that - sometimes - knowing doesn't feel any better. But even worse.

Nearly forgot

... to mention the goodies we got given at the lunch: more chocolate!! There is no such thing as too much chocolate and these look amazing and have been handmade:

already the packaging is beautiful

artisan du chocolat

I will savour every single one of them - that's for sure

The unthinkable

Semi-final Champions League 2012
Chelsea miraculously kicked Barcelona out of the competition. Will they face their past manager Mourinho in the final? It seemed like a given.

But then Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 2:1 at home. And yesterday, the Bavarians travelled to Spain. Not for a second did I believe they could win this. And even less so after Real scored two goals within the first half. By the end of the 90 minutes, the aggregate score is 3:3. Extra time makes no difference, so it goes to penalties.

Now, I don't like Bayern Munich. Never have done. Not entirely sure why. Maybe because they seemed to always win the Bundesliga. Maybe because I have difficulties understanding the Bavarian accent. Maybe because most people seem to have a strong dislike for them (unless they support them).

But I found myself cheering and screaming at the telly, when Neuer managed to catch the first two penalties. And even more loudly, when they won the match. It probably helps that a few players of the National team play for Bayern. And I am German after all...

Bayern Munich vs Chelsea in Munich. I shall be watching that game.

On top of the world

Well, not really. But one hundred feet above Kensington High Street in central London. I was invited by the Edinburgh International Conference Centre to a lunch in the Roof Gardens and Babylon Restaurant. Unfortunately, the actual gardens were not accessible to us, because of a wedding party. So, we didn't get to see the resident flamingos Bill, Ben, Splosh and Pecks. It was also windy and rainy, but on a beautiful day, I am sure it is amazing to be sitting on the outside terrace.

Here's what I picked from the set lunch menu:

Crispy Pork Belly
Pineapple and chilli caramel with fine herb salad

Nice, but could have been crispier. And I wouldn't call two pieces of pea shoots a 'salad'...
Linguine Pasta
With aubergine and cumin sauce, crème fraîche and Parmesan cheese

Interesting, especially the cumin taste. Relatively small portion, especially compared to the other mains. The lamb looked especially yummy!
Crème Caramel
With Calvados compressed apples

Nice. Tasted a bit too eggy. And again: 3 tiny slices of an apple don't qualify as 'apples' to me!

Service was - surprisingly - a bit on the slow side. I'm not complaining though - not least as it was an invite!
The decor was divine: the mirrors, sofas, tables, wallpaper. I'd love to move in there! And a fish tank in the bathroom. Very lovely indeed.

The morning after

I was going to write about my usual 'post-event-headache blues' yesterday. But I actually received some news with regard to my Mum. News that mean that we have to wait for another week or so, for some actual news. Waiting is not usually my strength. But in a way, the waiting holds the hope for good news this time.

And in the meantime, life just goes on.

The only way is up

After just one season in the 2. Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt returns to the Bundesliga.
Back where they belong.

Blue sky

Good news for everyone running today's London marathon: contrary to the weather forecast, the sky is blue and it's a sunny day.* Running a marathon is certainly not on my bucket list but I am impressed by the thousands of people who will be running it this year - many who've run it before and all of the raising so much money for charity.

Good luck to all of them - and I hope the weather stays at it is!


*I'm aware that this can easily change....

a little bit of self-reflection

I feel stressed quite easily. I think I am still able to operate well (in a professional environment at least), but I realize that my increased stress-level have a hugely negative impact on my well-being. I guess the positive aspect is, that it motivates me to perform well. But I should be able to do so without getting anxious, having an increased heart-beat etc.

So, I was just thinking: is this linked to a subconscious feeling of always being responsible to sort things out? I have noticed at work that I sometimes quite literally have to bite my tongue and that I have the tendency to get involved in things that are not my responsibility. Probably all part of being a bit of a control-freak, too. Which again makes unpredictable situations stressful, as they are outside my control. Also going hand in hand with the fear of failure.

Especially with regard to the upcoming meeting, that I am running, I will try to remember this:

1. Whatever happens, it is very (very) unlikely to be the end of the world.
2. Some things are outside people's control. I will try to find solutions, but if there aren't any - so be it.
3. It's human to make mistakes. Should I have forgotten something in the preparations, I will try not to beat myself up over it.

And most of all: I will enjoy this meeting that I've worked hard for!

Helpless

My Mum is in hospital. I won't go into details - partly, cause I don't know any... It seems that they keep doing different tests and still don't know what the problem is.

It is another reminder that my parents are getting old. And that I'm relatively far away. And there isn't really anything I can do. Other than keep hoping that they will find out what is making her unwell and that it is treatable. At the moment, she is not an 'emergency case'. Hopefully it will stay this way.

It also puts things into perspective. Doesn't it?

Of course

Just five minutes before the courier arrives to take away our 21 boxes for the meeting we are running next week, it starts pissing down with rain. The estate manager is of course long gone by then, so we cannot open the gate. Which means that the driver has to carry all the boxes all the way from our office to his van parked outside the main gate. And he is just slightly surprised when he is faced by 21 boxes. His office had told him that there would be one box, weighing 0.5kg... Hm, seems that they just randomly inputted this, when my colleague told them over the phone that we didn't yet know how many boxes there would be.

BUT the lovely guy insist that we do NOT help him carrying the stuff to the van, as he doesn't want us to get wet. I feel too bad about this, and do help a little. But the poor bloke gets absolutely soaked. And when I give him a tip he doesn't even want to take it: You really don't have to.
I know. But I really want to.

And of course, five minutes (literally!!) after he's left, it stops raining and the sun comes out.
Well, it is April after all.

Ewan

I was invited to attend an Odeon-venue-showcase event tonight. Starting with drinks, delicious finger and bowl food at Circus near Covent Garden. We even got entertained by amazing burlesque and fire-breathing dancers, drag-queen singers and trapeze artists. And the salespeople from Odeon were very non-intrusive. But this was just the starter before the main event:
a pre-screening of Lasse Hallström's new film ' Salmon fishing in the Yemen', which gets officially released on Friday. When I first received the invitation a few weeks ago, I (being the ignorant that I am) had thought that this would be some boring documentary. About salmon fishing in the Yemen.

Well, it's not a documentary. But it is about salmon, fishing and the Yemen. And Ewan.

Ewan McGregor plays a nerdy, cardigan-wearing, middle aged fisheries-specialist who gets roped into a project of a wealthy sheik who wants to introduce salmon fishing in the Yemen. He's supported by Emily Blunt, who plays a consultant working for the sheik. Yes, you are right: there is a love story.

Some of the story is a bit far-fetched, but overall I thought it was a nice film. With Ewan being adorable (I LOVE his Scottish accent) and Kristin Scott Thomas fantastic as acid-tongued PR lady for the Prime Minister. Malcolm from Spooks also has a little role as useless minister.

Unfortunately, the popcorn that was waiting on our seats was salty - but otherwise it was a great evening. And ended with goody bags for everyone:

Thanks, Odeon cinemas!

• an Odeon magnetic paperclip house-holder
• more chocolate from Hotel Chocolat!
• and two vouchers for Odeon cinema tickets

Have I mentioned, that I sometimes do love my job?

Could I go without?

A friend of mine doesn't have a TV. And hasn't had one for a few years now. In times when even big flatscreen TVs can be bought at reasonable prices, I had assumed that surely everyone had a telly. My first thought was: where do you watch DVDs? And he said he watches them on the laptop. And in addition you can download films, and with iplayer and TV on demand, you can actually watch most TV via the internet, too.

I myself have always been a bit of a TV junkie. When I was growing up, I knew the TV programme by heart. Well, maybe that wasn't that much of a task in our household, as my parents refused to get cable TV, and we therefore didn't receive many channels* (nowadays they have of course more channels than I do...).

When I get home after work, I usually switch on the TV straightaway. I've noticed that I even get a bit uncomfortable if there is no noise in the flat. For some reason, I hardly ever put music on. A TV ban would certainly do me some good. I often end up watching just anything that's on and have started to follow the horrible reality TV shows like Big Brother, Made in Chelsea and The only way is Essex... Once you start, you (or maybe just me) get addicted quickly, always wanting to know how the story - no matter how silly - continues. I still remember, my serious concerns when I left Germany to move to the UK after my Abitur: how would I survive without my (near-) daily fix of 'Verbotene Liebe' and 'Marienhof'???

Well, I somehow did. And replaced it with other stuff, unfortunately. Paradoxically, I don't watch DVDs very often. So, it didn't really make sense, that that was my first thought with regard to my friend's TV-less life... I love watching films, but rarely take the time to watch them. Usually, being on the computer while the TV is on in the background.

So, could I go without?

Lent is gone, but maybe I should start a little project. My friend commented on how it was strange at first, but how he now had so much more time for other things.
For tonight, the telly is off. Let's see how it goes.



*I think five to start with, which then increased to ten or so over the years

Derek

I'm a huge Ricky Gervais fan. I especially loved Extras, have been to see his stand up Science in London and Cemetery Junction is one of my favourite films. His podcasts (check them out on itunes) - even though I've listened to them so many times - make me laugh out loud EVERY time and are guaranteed to cheer me up no matter how bad the mood I'm in.

On 4th April, Channel 4 screened Derek. On Ricky's website, it is described as a "bittersweet one-off comedy", but on his blog he has just revealed that he is writing 6 more episodes. I can't wait for them to be broadcast!

Derek works in a retirement home. And he is an incredibly kind and caring person. And I recommend you watch it yourself* to find out more!

I'm not sure I would describe it as comedy. It was very touching, and even moved me to tears**.


* I think this will only work in the UK, I am afraid
** then again I do cry relatively easily...

Colour-blocking

En vogue: natural colour-blocking

Teapot party

With a bit of a delay (due to a lucky someone having been on a two week holiday to South Africa), we celebrated a colleague's birthday this week. Starting with very chocolaty-chocolate cake and sparkling wine in the office, we then headed off to the LadyBird Bar in Islington. According to their own website they "offer a delightfully extensive range of professionally made cocktails...". Which we sampled. And during happy hour they have a small selection of their extensive range on offer for just £5. And they tasted very nice indeed.

Some of their cocktails they offer in teapots. What exactly the deal is with that, I don't know and on this occasion we didn't find out either. Other than that I can't say much about the place as it was still empty when we left - it seems it gets busy in weekends.

We then moved on to a Mezze restaurant on Upper Street. I've been before, but I forgot its name again... Which is a shame, cause it's a really nice place, with lovely food - nice sharing platters - at very reasonable prices.

Last stop, was the Pub opposite the restaurant (again, can't remember the name...). Comfy sofas, nice atmosphere and a really nice chest of drawers. Well, even after eight years in the UK, I wouldn't go as far as painting the Union Jack on my furniture, but otherwise lovely!

And then it was time to call it a day (or night). A very good night (especially after a crap day in the office...*)



* Why is it that I let some people ruin my day??? Objective for next week: not letting her wind me up. It's a tough one...

*Heavenly*

I treated myself to a massage the other day. I went back to the salon where I had my hair cut last month: Independent Mind Body Soul in Balham. 1h15 minutes of their elemental nature massage.

After getting changed into a bathrobe, I was relaxing in the waiting area on a chaise longue, soothing music in the background. I was then collected by my masseuse and the treatment started with a foot soak. I was asked about any particular wishes, problems etc and I mentioned that I get a bit of a back ache (my lower back) as well as tension in my shoulders, due to sitting in front of a PC all day. So, she suggested spending most time on my back and finishing with a face and head massage.

The pressure was just perfect: just the right balance between forceful and relaxing. I seemed to be quite knotty in my shoulder area, so that was bordering on the painful... But it really felt much better afterwards.
The face massage was unusual - I don't think I've ever had one; only as part of a facial. Unfortunately, the massage oil made my skin break out the next day. I'd probably give that a miss next time.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. As I had made the booking on the day of my haircut, I got a 10% discount on the treatment. In addition, the salon is celebrating its 7th anniversary and I got a little hair smoothing sample (as you know I ♥ freebies!) AND a £10 off voucher for any treatment between May and August. So, I of course booked my next treatment (this time a radiance facial) already. Something to look forward to!

It had to end some time

Yesterday Brighton played Reading. Despite it being a weekday match around 20,600 people had made their way into the stadium (probably helped by the fact that it is Easter holidays - for some, not for others...). Reading had also brought an impressive crowd - and they had all reason to cheer.

The first ten minutes were great: the boys were passing the ball beautifully and got dangerously close to Reading's goal. And then in the 14th minute, Reading scored. Which turned out to be the only goal of the match.

Barnes managed to miss a penalty. And the Seagulls had a couple more chances to score - and missed them all. Craig Macail-Smith showed once again just how fast he can run. But unfortunately, you don't get points for running fast. Maybe brownie points...

The end result was 1:0 for Reading, who are now top of the league together with Southampton (who they will be playing this Friday - so that promises to be an exciting match!). Brighton are 7th - just 2 points behind Cardiff who are 6th. So, there is still a chance of getting one of the play-off places. While it would be really cool to see clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool (not so much Manchester United...) come play at the Amex, I do wonder, whether the club would just set themselves up to immediate relegation in the next season.

Brighton's unbeaten record at the Amex (in 2012) has now come to an end. Let's hope they'll start winning again soon!

Another before and after

Following this recipe, I just baked some carrot-muffins.

And as always, the butter was a little more than just soft. Why is it that butter goes from hard to melted in a matter of milliseconds?? I use the lowest level in my microwave to melt it. Put it in for half a minute at a time. And nothing happens. And then *BOOM* - it's all melted. The same goes for bringing milk to boil, by the way... (not in the microwave, but on the hob - leaving both the pot and the hob a pain to be cleaned). I wonder whether this is somehow possibly linked to my lack of patience...

Before

... and after

Sales-land

When growing up (in Germany), there were two big sales: the Winterschlussverkauf and the Sommerschlussverkauf. And in between it was full price on everything.

Over here in the UK, there always seems to be a sale on. They cleverly have mid-season sales. And yesterday I got these two dresses (primarily for the office - and they look much nicer worn, then they do in the photos) and a pink/white striped jumper:

Esprit: reduced from £45 to £14.99!

I think I need to clean my camera lens... Esprit: reduced from £55 to £16.99

forever21: £10.50 (and it's not as huge as it looks on the photo)

Food

I made some pizza bites today (seems there is no translation for Pizzaschnecke - as for so many other words...). Really easy, quick and yummy: I used ready made puff pastry dough. Then spread some pesto and sour cream on to the dough, sprinkled with grated cheese and ham, rolled the dough up and cut into pieces. Then into the oven at 200C for about 15-20 minutes. And the result looks something like this:

'Prettiness' can certainly be improved next time

And for dessert, it's chocolate time today. I treated myself to some Hotel Chocolat chocolates, which I can highly recommend.

• Kir Royal: The classic cocktail recreated in soft champagne truffles with a dash of blackcurrant liqueur
• Cherry Deluxe: A succulent whole cherry surrounded by soft amaretto cream [will they taste better than Mon Cheri* (which you can't get in the UK)]
• Bakewell Tart: The almond and cherry flavours of a British classic captured in a soft amaretto and cherry brandy truffles

And they didn't even ask me for my ID today!

Not sure how much will be left of them tomorrow...

* Wikipedia has some interesting facts: The so-called Piemont cherry is not actually a specific type of cherry but a registered brand and refers to a specific way of processing. The name was used as it relates to the native region of the Ferrero (manufacturer) family and is clearly meant to evoke the belief that the cherries get harvested in sunny Italy.

Just for you

A very happy birthday to my big sister:

The last day on earth

Last night in The Big C:

Postscript: Who would have thought that only three weeks later this would come so much closer into my life

A little bit of mesh

But you know
That I'm caught between the magic that you gave to me
And the fear that you might leave
Because it scares me
That you could break my heart again so easily
Don`t let us fall apart

Road trip - final part

In Liverpool we stayed at the Thistle Atlantic Tower. I wouldn't recommend it. There was nothing 'executive' about our executive room. The only redeeming feature were the views from the 12th floor. Otherwise the room (and bed) were small, the decor tatty, the bathroom small and the water was basically dropping out of the shower, making showering a little difficult. And while it was freezing cold outside, it was boiling hot inside and the air conditioning wasn't working. I guess the immediate comparison with the Brook Barn contributed to a certain disappointment.

But we enjoyed walking around the docks, which all seem to have been modernised in recent years. Lots of cafes, restaurants and still surprisingly quiet on a Sunday.

On Monday, we travelled back south, via Chester. A nice charming town. And then it was along drive back to London. Admittedly I slept most of the time...
All in all, a great long weekend!

Some impressions:

Old and new

Blue sky all day

The hotel - and a church

View from the hotel window

Chester

According to Wikipedia Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain

Chester cathedral

He's just not that into you

The film was on last night. Unfortunately I missed the first half. I have seen it before though and really liked it.
And Ben and Jenny made me cry again.

"I need to make you happy… …for me to even have a shot at being happy."

Road trip part 3

From Oxfordshire we headed further up north to Scouseland. We were still lucky with the weather and the sky was blue, but it was rather frosty.

The whole reason for the road trip was to see John Kirby's exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery. John is an artist from Liverpool, and one of his brothers happens to be my partner's friend.

We weren't allowed to take any photos in the gallery but we bought the catalogue. It was amazing! One of the paintings I already knew, as it usually hangs in his brother's living room. It was quite surreal to now see it hanging in a gallery.

I remember that it took me a little while to get used to his style, but now I really love it. My favourite painting was probably 'Man in a small boat', which unfortunately doesn't feature in the catalogue (which I am hoping to get signed!) - but you can find it through google.

The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool

John Kirby's first exhibition in his hometown

Angelic

Don't you just hate the first day back in the office after the holidays? On this occasion, I only had ONE day (yesterday) off, and I was even checking my emails on my blackberry, and I still felt incredibly stressed out when I came to the office today. This probably explains why I keep carrying over an ever increasing number of leave days ...

Enough moaning though, as this is going to be a pleasant blog entry:
After a stressful day at the office, I relaxed at The Winchester in Islington, near Angel tube station. Do check it out when you are around! It's a quirky and very friendly place. Our waitress was quite possibly the most cheerful person I have ever met and her cheerfulness was infectious, too.

The Red Russian* also helped with cheering me up. They have quite an extensive list of unusual cocktails. Not cheap - but then nothing is in London. They also have a nice food menu, with a variety of starters, light bites, sharers and mains. I ordered some hot ciabatta with balsamic and oil (so simple, and so yummy!), onion rings and fried calamari. Yes, all for ME. Waitress thought this was the order (of starters) for our table of four... I often find it difficult to make decisions (interestingly, I find it a lot easier when it comes to my job), so I prefer to order a variety of little dishes, so I can try several things. Also glad that I provided some entertainment with that order.

After dinner, we then moved on to a pub across the road, that was showing tonight's Champions league games. I have to admit that even in international matches, I am finding it rather hard to muster any enthusiasm for Bayern Munich... But as I was in the company of at least one BM fan tonight, I guess I was happy enough that they beat Marseille and are through to the next round.

And now it's time for bed: Good night everyone!


*strawberry liqueur, Kahlua, strawberry puree, cranberry juice, vodka and cream float

Road trip part 2

From the Pub we went on to Brook Barn Country House. I had found the place on laterooms.com, and it's simply amazing! We stayed in The Hayloft. And next time I will remember to take photos before throwing our stuff all over the place... Everyone was lovely and they went out of their way to make it a great stay. I had ordered some truffles when booking the room. Unfortunately, they had had a problem with their delivery - so SJ stayed up to make us some herself and insisted on not charging us for them. And they were delicious!

The free-standing bathtub was just one of the highlights. And I wish I had a super king-sized bed at home! Full English breakfast the next morning was great, too.
I can certainly recommend this to anyone who is in the area and I hope to be back at some point, if possible for a little longer than just one night!

And here are some impressions:

Entrance to The Hayloft

The massive bed and the massive TV in the background

I love the desk

... and the free-standing bath

View from The Hayloft window down on the brook and garden

And from the outside - and what a beautiful day it was, too!

Road trip part 1

Brighton drew against Middlesbrough on Saturday. Not a bad result, I guess, and it also means that we are still unbeaten at the Amex in 2012. Just so frustrating that they couldn't turn some of their good chances into goals.

From the stadium we started our little road trip up north. We stopped at a family-run pub near Wantage/Oxfordshire for dinner. Yummy burger and chips. Unfortunately, the photo came out a bit blurry, but I wanted to show it anyway - I loved the "chair" (on the right):