EU's advances towards Norway

 

 Hey guys,

Today I want to enlighten you with another post about a paper I had to write for English classes. This time we had to work in a group of three people. This group includes Marinha, Cat and me. We chose to write about whether or not Norway should join the EU and came to a clear result. - We are definitely against Norway joining the EU!

Actually, Norway is a really strong country in more than just one way. The country is economically independent, offers an advanced health system and the population is genuinely happy with their current situation. So I suppose the EU has to find another country which can help them out with their financial situation. I hope that some of you are interested in reading our paper.

I wish you a Happy Christmas time!

Here is the link for both the first and the second version of the essay :)

How far do you think I am with my academic paper?

To all my lovely readers,

Most of you know that we were asked to write an academic paper in English class. After discussing the possible topics on my blog, with this blog post, I decided to write about the Korean migration to the EU and the resulting relations between the European Union and South Korea. 

So far I did some research, thought about the structure of my paper and wrote an introduction. To be honest, I am not used to writing papers or essays step by step. Normally, I do everything in one day in a few hours. That has always worked best for me but I hope that my effort will pay off. 

Unfortunately, I have to cope with some problems during the process of writing. I already have around five to seven really good sources but none of them is an academic source. Therefore, I tried to use Google scholar but I couldn't find anything with the right information. I will just keep searching for the perfect sources so that my paper will be interesting even for those who aren't interested in economy or Asia. I will offer a new perspective on a boring and common topic. I even interviewed some Korean people who came to Austria to work and live here, to understand better how deep the relationship between European countries and South Korea is and how deep they think that this bond reaches. 

If you have any questions or a few ideas on what would be interesting ask e please. Write a comment and I will be happy to answer it. 

And because I haven't written a personal blog post in such a long time I am going to spam you with a Korean song I hear all the time, at the moment. 

Revised summary of "Europe already has one foot in Japanese deflation grave"

Original Summary:

Ambrose Evans- Pritchard, in The Telegraph of October 23, 2013 describes European policy errors.

Evans- Pritchard claims that the current economy faces the same problem as decades ago. Debts keep rising and no government knows how to prevent financial crisis. The situation becomes more lethal for EU- members since the Inflation-rate keeps falling which makes it likelier for Europe to fall into debt. Over the past months examples, such as Italy, Spain and Greece, illustrate what will happen to other countries if deflation starts.

The governments can refer to similar cases that happened in the past. The 2002 Japan syndrome is a reminder of how dangerous this scenario can become. Currently, it seems that there is no opportunity for the indebted states to repay them. As a result many countries cut spending first, to prevent their debts from rising. This leads to reciprocal accusations because the governments do not know how to improve their financial situations. Italy, Spain and Greece would benefit from inflation; however, Germany is against it at the moment.

 As a solution Club Med allies should gang up to receive support. Most countries are still hoping for the best case scenario, but the chances are near zero.

                                                             

200 Words, not including title

Feedback:

• the summary needs more planning
• it is too vague
• more explanations

Revised Version:

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in The Telegraph of October 23, 2013 describes European policy errors.

Evans-Pritchard claims that European economy faces the same problem as Japan did decades ago. Debts keep rising and governments cannot handle the financial crisis. Europe’s economy is in a state of deflation which becomes lethal if total debt exceeds 300 pc of GDP. Recently, economy in countries, such as Italy and Spain stagnated and is dangerously near to sustaining deflation which would keep the states from economic recoveries.

The governments can refer to similar cases that happened in the past. The 2002 Japan syndrome reminds how dangerous deflation can become. Money gains value therefore, people cut spending and the economy is left without investments.

Currently, it seems that there is no opportunity for indebted states to repay their debts. As a result many countries cut spending first, to prevent their debts from rising. This leads to reciprocal accusations because the governments do not know how to improve their financial situations. Italy and Spain would benefit from inflation; however, Germany is against it at the moment.

As a solution Club Med allies should collaborate to receive support. Most countries are still hoping for the best case scenario, but the chances are near zero.

205 Words, title not included

Pronunciation Diray 1: My pronunciation insecurities

To whom it may concern, (Sorry for writing this phrase. I know it’s not the right way to start one of my blog posts but, actually, I really like this sentence. So bear with me :)

Today everything is about pronunciation. Before my university life started I didn't really care much about my pronunciation because I tried to study tons of vocabulary but I never concerned myself with the right pronunciation of the words that were new to me. At the beginning of this semester my professor said that we should look up all the words that we haven’t yet heard from a native speaker. After this statement my only thought was that I have no idea which words I heard from a native speaker and which ones I just heard from fellow students or teachers at high school. After thinking deeply about what our professor requested from us, I became even more wary of my pronunciation than I already was. I have always been very insecure when it comes to my pronunciation because, from time to time, people ask me to repeat what I just said. This is, of course, perfectly normal but every time I think that I mispronounced a word or that I slur my sentences. 

At the moment I am sincerely trying to overcome my insecurities and I hope to be able to speak more to native speakers to advance both my pronunciation and my accent. To improve my pronunciation I am actively looking up the pronunciation for words which I have been using for quite some time but I didn’t know how to pronounce correctly. When I study new vocabulary I listen to the right pronunciation then I say it at least three times and lately I record myself while doing that to be able to tell the differences between my pronunciation and the original. That’s how I try to correct myself and most of all improve my speaking skills. 

If you have some interesting ideas how to study pronunciation please let me know. Leave a comment and make me happy :) I really love to receive comments and to answer any questions. 

Yours, Sabrina 

My critique about summary: myanonymsumary

Hello to all my dear readers,

Today I will do something funny and entertaining. I chose a text, which we had to write for English class, from an anonymous person and I will try t give constructive critique on it. I just hope that my summary is okay because otherwise I will be in trouble. After you finish reading feel free to tell me your opinion on both the original text and my “correction” of it. :)

anonymous text:

Europe already has one foot in ‘Japanese” deflation grave

“The debt deflation theory” by professor Irving Fisher would take EU authorities far in the

battle against rising debt. As the American Revolution has shown, deflation is an

underestimated danger with the potential to lead to economic disaster. If total debt grows too

high, as happens in Western Europe, deflation gets mortal. The eurostat index depicts that

deflation has dropped. The tendency of falling prices is seen in many countries. Similar to

Japan’s crisis, the eurozone economy is in endangered by high debt ratios and sustained

deflation. Zsolt Darvas from the Brussels think tank Bruegel equates deflation with bleakness.

He accuses the European approach of the debt crisis and mentions the dilemma of states being

pushed to “internal devaluations”. Vicious dynamics such as the “denominator effect” are

witnessed in countries like Italy, where debt rises faster than GDP. The same is true for private

debt, where with crash diets for erred states, economic self destruction was only enhanced.

For Mr Darvas, let inflation elevate means escaping from the deflationary spiral. Responsible

for money shifting to Germany is the ECB and non counteracting member states which fear

Germany would leave the eurozone. Europe hope for global growth to fight the deflation

virus.

The first problem I noticed was that the very first sentence is missing. Normally you would write where and when the article was published and who wrote it. In my opinion, the author of this summary also included unnecessary information such as the reference to the American Revolution. Other than that I am not quite sure whether the summary is really easier than the original article. Of course most of the complicated vocabulary was left out but due to the complicated structure of the sentences the whole text was rather confusing. I don`t think that those are the biggest problems because when I read the text for the first time I didn’t understand anything but what shocked me a little bit were the spelling mistakes. From time to time the author forgot to add an “s” to the verb in the third form singular. Some words were spelled wrong and I am not sure but I think that usage of mortal in the phrase “deflation gets mortal” wrong is. I don`t want to mention every little mistake but I highlighted the ones I immediately noticed.

How to study vocabulary in a funny way ;)

Dear all,

as some of you may know I had an English exam not too long ago. Actually, it was really hard and we had to study a lot for it. I studied about 600 words from the Porter Vocabulary Book and I was devastated because I couldn´t remember them until before the exam. However, one of my English professors showed us an entertaining and interesting method to study those words through a simple game. For this game you need a group of people a pen and paper. When the game starts every player has to write down one sentence including one of the words you have to study. Then you hand the piece of paper to the person next to you and this person has to draw a picture to your sentence. The next step is to hand the papers to the next person who sees the picture and has to write down a fitting sentence. You repeat this actions until no blank paper is left and afterwards read the sentences out loud.

It is extremely funny and you will remember the original, hopefully, correct example sentences for the word in question. Try the game and have fun :)


Here is an example for you:

What I learned...

Hey guys!

Last week I got my first corrected English homework from Hendrik back. To be honest, I was really unhappy with the outcome. I was sure, that the text was rather good but now I know better.

After going over the corrected text at home, I understand my mistakes and know how to improve, not only myself, but also my writing style. The most prominent problem was the lack of cohesion in my text. For me it was difficult to answer about 20 questions in a cohesive way. I tried my best but failed because I wanted to answer every question individually. While trying to improve my text I found a way to answer several questions in a more complex sentence. Another of my problems was that I used the wrong vocabulary to answer the questions, or from time to time, I even used quite a German way to write my answers. I tried to remodel my text and used texts, written by native Speakers, as reference material, to improve my style. At the end I asked my sister to read through both texts and tell me which one is easier to follow and understand logically.

I hope my rewritten version is better and that the rewriting helped me to improve my writing skill.

The Fate of Rose

 Hello my dear readers,

Today we had to do an assignment in class about a documentary called "Surprising Europe". The following story is one of many covered in this documentary.

Hello, my name is Rose and I’m a prostitute in Genoa, Italy. I originally come from Nigeria and I dreamt of a good life in Europe with a well-paid office or cleaning job. Back in Nigeria, I went to school and had a job but I was promised more by a friend of the family. So I quit both and left my family, lured in by the promise of a better life. However, life in Europe was different than expected, as I was forced into prostitution. At first, I got into a lot of fights with the "family friend" because I am very religious and selling my body is against my beliefs. All the fighting brought me nothing as I had to support my family at home and I was told that I had to pay off 45,000 Euros of debt. So I stayed there and I have been in the business for six years now. My worst fear is that I will never get out of debt and that I am forced to work until I am old and "worthless". I knew girls who had exactly that fate. They were sent back old, without money, unable to find a husband and they had to live the life of an outcast. In the end, prostitution comes down to earning money but losing yourself.

What the EU is for: Analysis

Hey guys,
you don´t have to read this post because it is a rewritten version of my first post with this name. I needed to revise the paragraph for my English class.
                                                                                                                                                              

Paragraph Brainstorming:

• register > changes throughout each paragraph, probably because of the two authors
• structure> good organized, clear, ideal length for paragraphs
• cohesion> cohesive without using too many linking words
• vocabulary> academic but not too complicated and high-registered

Original paragraph:

While reading the academic text “What the EU is for” I found both good and rather confusing points about the text. The first positive point I spotted was the good organized structure of the text. Short headings for each section of the text give an impression what the paragraphs will be about. The paragraphs have the perfect length. Their length is convenient for the text, so that the reader does not have to concentrate for too long. I really appreciated that the text was cohesive, although the authors did not use many linking words. The vocabulary was easy to understand but some sentences were too long, which disturbed the flow of the text. I suppose that this disruption happened because of the different types of register the authors used.  When I started reading I did not know that this text had two authors. After reading one paragraph I was convinced that at least two different people must have written this text. All in all, the text is well-written and an English student can definitely learn a lot by analysing the text.

[181 Words] 

Feedback:

language> wanted to write in British english, wrote one word in American english

structure> two sentences had to be connected to secure the flow of the text

2nd version paragraph:

“What the EU is for” is an academic text and combines both good and rather confusing points from which language students can learn quite a lot. The first positive point I spotted was the good organised structure of the text. Short headings for each section of the text give an impression what the paragraphs will be about. The paragraphs have the perfect length, which is convenient for the text, so that the reader does not have to concentrate for too long. I really appreciated that the text was cohesive, although the authors did not use many linking words. The vocabulary was easy to understand but some sentences were too long, which disturbed the flow of the text. I suppose that this disruption happened because of the different types of register the authors used.  When I started reading I did not know that this text had two authors. After reading one paragraph I was convinced that at least two different people must have written this text. All in all, the text is well-written and an English student can definitely learn a lot by analysing the text. 
[185 Words]

Feedback: 
I changed the "and" in the first sentence to a "which",erased the comma before "so" in the third sentence 
and wrote the word "aspect" instead of  "point".

Final version:

“What the EU is for” is an academic text which combines both good and confusing points from which language students can learn quite a lot. The first positive aspect I spotted was the good organised structure of the text. Short headings for each section of the text give an impression what the paragraphs will be about. The paragraphs have the perfect length, which is convenient for the text so that the reader does not have to concentrate for too long. I really appreciated that the text was cohesive, although the authors did not use many linking words. The vocabulary was easy to understand but some sentences were too long, which disturbed the flow of the text. I suppose that this disruption happened because of the different types of register the authors used.  When I started reading I did not know that this text had two authors. After reading one paragraph I was convinced that at least two different people must have written this text. All in all, the text is well-written and an English student can definitely learn a lot by analysing the text.

[184] Words

How I combine the EU with my interests!

Although many people may be under the impression that the EU is a boring topic to write or study about, I would say it is a challenging theme. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to combine my topic with Asia, since most of my regular readers know about my obsession for Asia, my choice shouldn't`t surprise any of you. Please tell me which topic sounds the most interesting!

 Asia’s economic relations with the EU:

The essay would include a short impression about the economic state the two countries were in, before they cooperated with each other. After that I would provide information about how they became trading partners and when. Which trading contracts they have and how the partnership changed the economy of both states.

The EU-Korea free trade agreement:

Due to my stay in South Korea and the Lectures I attended at university, I gained an insight on the economy of Korea. The Republic of Korea isn`t even half as old as the EU and the EU, still had to fight over 5 years to make a contract with South Korea. They decided on trading all kind of goods without taxes. This contract was a huge success for the EU because the Asian makes about a quarter of the European Import and Export up. I would also like to give special examples of how beneficial this trade relation is for every EU-citizen.

                                                       Japan-European Union relation:

Japan is an even more interesting trading partner for the EU than Korea. In the Japan- European Union relation it`s said that the EU and Japan not only exchange products but they also share academic- and civil-society contacts. During 2012 Japan and the EU started talks about technological exchanges too. In my essay I would be describing the whole situation first, to get an overview, and later I would be focusing to work out the advantages and disadvantages and possible problems.

Immigration of Asians in EU countries:

I am not yet sure but I would probably concentrate on one certain EU-state. The essay would deal with the reasons of migration from Asia to the EU. During which periods most immigrants arrived, taking in consideration the various historical happenings which led to migration. After arriving which cultural differences caused problems and whether migration increased or decreased?

Why was Germany able to be one of the founder states of the EU shortly after the second World War?!

Why was Germany able to co-found an institution like the EU, although their economy was highly unstable? Who was the political at this time and which thoughts and preparation can be found behind the founding of the EU? Who were the other heads of the states? How and how much did the economy of the founding states changed within 5 years?

Thanks for your help! J

When music gives you the feeling that....

Hello, Hallo, Ciao and Annyeong my dear readers!

I am sure you asked yourself why I started this post with saying hello in four different languages! First, I am trying to improve myself in these four languages at the moment (English, German, Italian and Korean). Secondly, it also has to do with what I am going to write today.

These languages are not only the ones  I  am tryig to improve myself in at the moment but I also enjoy listening to songs in those languages. As I mentioned in previous posts I am a really big fan of the so called KPOP. When I have some time I watch Korean music shows and try to stay up to date with my favourite singers and groups. A few days ago while I watched one of those shows I came across a singer who had to sing an old Korean song for the show in his style. I can honestly say that I  had goosebumps all over my body because his voice was so expressive. He did not only get all the notes right but it seemed that he delivered all of his sorrow and depressions to me. I was so touched by his voice that I had to watch the video over and over again.

That is why I am asking you to share music with me which had the same effect on you. I am positive that at least some of you know this feeling when you can only concentrate on this very special voice and in fact, you do not even need to understand the words.

So please share whatever music you like with me because I really want to get to know some other artists/ voices which can make me feel all the emotions that exist in our world. Feel free to leave comments with links to the videos you like:)

By the way here is the video which I mentioned above:

Culture Projects- short ovierview of Irish culture and important persons

My dear fellow students!

As all of you, I also listened to, at least ten, culture presentations this  Wednesday and Thursday. Actually it was no that easy to figure out which topics I should choose for the final oral exam. I watched many interesting presentations but I decided to take the culture projects I, personally, am the most interested in. 


The first topic I choose is "Oscar Wilde and William Yeats- so similar but yet so different". I have always liked literature and I am really interested in Irish literature because it was the home country of so many controversial and brilliant writers. I read a book of Oscar Wilde and also watched the movie a few years ago. Because of the presentation I decided to also read one by William Yeats to get to know his style better. In my opinion, the presentation gave a very detailed overview about the living situation, the way they lived their life and which problems they had to face. She even explained the similarities between the two men very well and after hearing the presentation you want to know more.  

The second culture project I am going to take is "Patrick Nee" by Jasmin Gsellman. To be honest,  I didn´t like the presentation that much because it was a bit unstructured for me. The topic itself was really interesting and it is fascinating to hear about the ways how people became what they are. Since I have been thirteen years old I had a morbid interest in human minds and what experiences in life lead to such drastic changes. That is the reason why I chose this topic.

One of my favorite presentations was "Words are like bullets - Homophobic bullying in Irish Schools" by Shirin. Actually, I have been a victim of bullies so many times. Not only in school but also in the "real life". Many of my fellow classmates mobbed me and even some teachers did, which definitely wasn´t alright. In my opinion, we should treat each other with respect and don´t judge people on first impressions. I´m sure I´m not the most attractive person out there but you don´t have to be beautiful or stunning to be friendly and intelligent. Therefore, could say that  choose this topic because of a personal Connection.

The next one, "Willie Daly - The man who brought love to Ireland", is also one of my favourites because I really enjoyed the presentation and you got this feeling that Natalie is interested in what she was telling us. I watched the presentation because I have been to the town before and I heard a few stories but never  really knew any details about the whole event. In a time in which everybody can become a part of an online dating site it is nice to know about some traditions.

And the last presentation I chose is "The Integration of Islam in Ireland". What I really like about it is that I haven´t even once thought about Islam in Ireland although I have been there twice. Actually, it is really interesting because Ireland has always been a melting pot of cultures, religions and traditions. I also appreciated the mentioning of the various schools because it seems to have been a controversial topic, whether they get taught as they want/ need to. What wondered me the most was that Muslims said they were able to find similarities between their own faith and the conservative history in Ireland.

These are the five presentation I want to take for my final oral exam for the reasons I mentioned above. Additionally, I watched "Operation Demetrius - British Internment policy in 1971" and "The history of Irish Sign Language - ISL" from the Irish Topics and from Frank´s class I watched: "Racial Segregation in the US as depicted in 3 movies" (I really liked the movies she picked), "The Columbian Exchange" ( a very lively presentation, lots to laugh about) and "Fort Knox".

I really enjoyed the presentations although it was really warm and I couldn´t see everything I wanted. It was really nice to be able to choose the topics for our project and the topics for the oral exam. This way it will not only be easier to study but also nicer to be tested on topics which interest you.

When individualism becomes mainstream

Good morning people!

What was the first thing you enjoyed/liked/disliked when you started university?

In my case I really enjoyed the individuality and the independence everybody has. I thought that I left the people who judge  me because of my clothes or my taste in music, food or other areas behind me.  I am sure that you know those people that think that you are weird, only because you aren`t like them. Actually, my taste has never really been what you would describe as "mainstream" but I haven´t even once told someone that I am alternative....

About nine months ago I was really happy to come to a place where people aren´t interested in the brand of your clothes or what music you like. Although another problem occurred!

Suddenly every second person told me that he/she is alternative- whatever that means. When I asked someone what music they like it happened that this person told me that I can´t know them because they are so unknown and special that just a hand of people knows them.

There was also a time when we spoke about food in English lectures and I had the impression that those who aren´t vegetarians or even vegans are seen as completely unnatural. In fact, that is not the only thing that immediately comes to my mind when I think about the differences between  school and university. During my school days, my clothes were too casual and not high class enough according  to some of my classmates. Now both people who wear no shoes and girls who are styled like they have to walk the catwalk became a daily occurrence for me.

All these experiences helped me to come to the following conclusion:

In my opinion the vast majority of students of the ITAT want to be extraordinary and "alternative" that they became mainstream for me. Everybody wants to be special and exceptional. Maybe these are just my thoughts but I am under the impression that everybody is special in his/her/its own way.

Just stand up for yourself and say what you like and dislike, apart from other people´s opinions.  Do the things you enjoy and never look back, because life is too short to regret!

Since this is a post about being yourself, I thought a picture of myself would be appropriate :)

Can you guess what I like about South Korea?? :)

Annyeonghaseyo!! (means hello in  Korean)

Today I want to tell all  of you why South Korea is an outstanding country for me. In my last post I promised you that I would describe everything a little more and I wish, with all my heart, that I will be able to catch your attention with this post. Unfortunately, many European people are interested in the US, South America or Europe but not many harbor an interest for Asian cultures and countries. Actually I prefer Asia over Europe and America regarding cultural diversities or languages. To be honest, when I started university I didn`t know which languages to take. I chose English because it means freedom and being capable of everything for me. All the other European languages were just a little uninteresting because most of them are really similar and therefore, a bit uninteresting for me. That is also the reason why I am trying to study Korean characters at the Moment, because I can only say a few sentences yet.



For those who do not know where South Korea is located :)

Well... After this quite Long introduction I just want to give a short overview about the aspects of South Korea. I am most interested in those topics since they are extremely different to Austria. Unlike Austria, South Korea is a very homogeneous country. That means that not as many different cultures com together as in Austria. Koreans are not that excited about foreigners coming to their country, which has to do with the countries history.

Nevertheless, the first aspect I would like to discuss is the lifestyle and personal distance. Koreans keep a lot of space between them when they first meet other persons. They don`t normally shake Hands but bow to each other. For women it is common to show a lot of their legs but practically no chest. As for houses, a normal house doesn´t have a lot of space and in traditional houses they sleep on the floor and they don`t have heaters like we do but floor heating. Those are just some examples for the difference between Korea and Austria and to be honest you could probably do a lot of things wrong when you travel there for the first time.

The first kind of contact with Korean culture, I experienced, was through movies and music. I am sure everyone of you know Psy but for me, he wasn´t the first artist I knew. The first group of the, so called KPOP, was Big Bang. And it is like I and the music clicked immediately. KPOP consists of more than  just Pop Music but I was overwhelmed how much sincerity and work they put into their Music.  You can feel how much making Music means to them and how how much they had to work or it. Most Korean entertainers undergo a special training in their companies for several years, before being able to debut. I adore people who are persistent enough to follow their dreams, no matter what comes. 

Honestly, I would like to write so much more about my likes and why I think that South Korea is one of the most fascinating countries out there but I don´t have enough time. Therefore, I will stop here today and I sincerely hope that I could convey all the love and interest I harbor for this country. If you want to know anything or tell me something, feel free to leave  a comment. I will gladly answer them. :)

I would like to give also some other reasons for traveling there:

My south korean holiday plans!

Hello my dear readers! ^^

In a few weeks we will finally have holidays and I am so looking forward to having some free time! Mos of my friends are planning various journeys and and are happy that they don´t have to study for at least 2 months :)

I, on the other side, decided to apply for a three-week long Summer University programme in South Korea. Fortunately, they accepted me immediately and I will fly there on 3rd of August. I will stay there at the Inha University which is in Incheon. I can stay there in the dorm. I´ll have to share my room with three other girls but I actually don´t mind it really.
(In fact, I don´t even plan to spend that much time in the dormitory :) )

They whole stay costs only about 500Euro, complete with food and costs for the trips we will make. We already have the whole programme in which we can see when we will make wih excursions and when we have courses.
 I had the opportunity to choose my own courses. I will have to take exams to finish my courses, so I will have to study quite a bit.
Nevertheless, I feel really happy that I have the opportunity to attend this programme.

The courses I chose are about the Korean culture, Asian politics and of course a language course.

(Inha University)

 

My goal for this experience is to make as many international friends a possible, since many different people will come there and I will be able to share my interests with various other students. I hope to be able to make hundreds of photos and to learn some things for life.

One of my upcoming posts will probaly be about my interest in South Korea and why it is such an awesome country for me :)

Best Birthday cake ever!!!

Hey Boys and Girls! :)

Like some of you may know it´s been my birthday not too long ago. In my household we have this tradition that if its someones birthday, the other family members bake a cake and surprise the person in the morning.  Normally my younger sister bakes a cake for me and we celebrate after waking up.

This year she prepared a special Irish-Coffee Cake! She especially baked this cake for me because she knows of my passion for Ireland and the Irish cuisine. ;)

The cake was soooooo good that I have to share the recipe with all of you. If I were you, I would immediately try the recipe out.

Here you go!

Ingredients:

For the biscuit:

• 200 gram melted butter
• 200 gram flour
• 200 gram sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 pinch of Salt

For the filling:

• 150 gram whipped cream
• 100 gram dark chocolate
• 3 egg-white
• 1 pack of vanilla sugar
• 1 Cup very strong coffee
• 10 cl Whiskey

Preparation:

1) Preheat  the oven on 190°  and put the baking tray in it. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add flour, baking powder, eggs, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt.

2) Fill the mixture into the baking tray and bake it for 15 minutes.

3) Next is to make the cream! Fill the cream in the bowl and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Melt the chocolate and stir until its a homogeneous mixture.

4) Then whip the cream and add the vanilla sugar and put it in the fridge. Next mix the coffee with the Whiskey and mix the cream with the melted chocolate. This way it becomes mouse au chocolat.

5) Cut the cake horizontal and put the mouse au chocolat on one half. Then take the second part and soak it with the coffee and Whiskey mixture. Put the whipped cream on the mouse au chocolat and put the other half of the cake on top of it.

6) The last part is to put the cake into the fridge for at least an hour and then the cake is ready to go! :)

I know the whole thing takes some time but, trust me, it is worth it. I will also add a picture and I know it´s a bit crappy but.... you know... the cake was really delicious!!!!

I found my world in Mangas...

Hello my lovely Readers! 

Today I want to share one of my many interests with you! Maybe some of you are also interested in the world of Manga and Anime. As you can see, most of my hobbies revolve around cultures and I think I have been interested in Asian cultures for, approximately, three to four years now.

I don`t know how many of you know what Mangas (漫画) are, but in fact they are a lot like Comics. They have their origin in Japan and are for both young and old. You can find a variety of 120 genre which means that anybody can find something they like. I, for my part, am not really picky and love to read as many Mangas as I can.

Actually, Mangas have always played a very important role throughout history. In earlier times, for example during the Second World War, the politicians used this kind of art as propaganda. They tried to convey their political intentions to common people through caricatures.

Nowadays, you can find publishing houses all over Japan. Many people want to become Mangakas (the authors/ drawers of Mangas), although they don`t get paid a lot.In the Japanese culture it somehow has a certain kind of Status. ow you can even find various publishing houses in Europe and the US and it´s spreading around the world. :)

Here are some of my favourite Mangas:

• Death Note
• Black Bird
• Bleach
• Vampire Knight

The reasons why I love to read them are quite simple. First,
you can learn a lot about the culture and how Society works. I also like the fact that Mangas are honest. It portrays all the things of which life consists. or example poverty, family, troubles with finding a Job and problems in relationships.

I hope I was able to convey my interest to you and maybe you got a Little bit curious :)

Not only a japanese phenomenom- Hikikomori!

Hey guys!

As some of you may know, it´s my birthday this Sunday and I am turning 19. I know that 19 years isn´t that old but today I had to sincerely think about my current living situation.
At the Moment I am living together with my mother and my sister in our house. Since I had the opportunity to study in my hometown, I don´t know if it would be smart to pay Money just to live apart from my Family. I think that I still have time to do that and I am sure there will come a time when I can´t stand living with my family anymore. Until this happens I will probably stay at home in my comfy room.

Although I am quite happy with my decision, I suddenly  had to think about a phenomenon which is very well known all over the world. This phenomenon has its´origin in Japan and is called "Hikkikomori".  In Italy it is called "Mammoni". These Terms refer to young adults from 18 to 35 years, which still live at home with their parents. These young adults don´t need to do homework, wash their clothes or make food for themselves.

I am mostly familiar with the Japanese theory of "Hikkikomori" because I worked on that topic before and I was left speechless after I got to know all the Facts.
The Japanese theory goes back to 1950 caused by the World War II. The term "Hikkikomori" refers to teenagers and adults that stay at home nstead of going to School or working.

Japan is the perfect example for a society which is oriented on hard work and perfect education. After some time the teenagers broke down because of the pressure they are under.After the mental-brekdown they went trough, they stay locked up in their room and stop speaking at all. They occupy themselves with video games or Mangas and often they find their own families through games or chat rooms.
The reasons for the behaviour of the adolescents are too much social pressure which they experience through their parents, teachers and friends. Today you need to study at one of the best universities. Otherwise you won´t be able to find a good job. The cause for this problem is the economic crisis we are still experiencing.

Altough this psychological illnes has been acknowledged for a long time but still most parents ignore their childrens´problems. There are two therapies from which you can choose nowadays. The first one is, in my opinion, mostly for ignorant parents. The "Hikkikomori" will be treated with pills to ease their mental Problems without any kind of psychotherapy.
The second  possible therapy works with group therapy. That means that the patient will be treated in an unknown environment, together with other patients which are alreay healed. Additionaly, they become medicine and attend psychotherapy.

I hope none of you will experience similiar probems in the furture. I, for my part, think it is horrible that those People can´t even rely on their parents. These people are mentally ill and need all the help they can possibly get.

I hope you stay healthy and happy :)
Yours Sabi!!!

BBC lead students into a trap in North Korea!

Matching to my last post, I came across this very interesting article about a travel to North Korea. As most of you may know, it is extremely dangerous for journalists to travel to North Korea, because they will have to face sanctions and prohibitions to ever travel to North Korea again.
For this reason BBC used a group of students from a London School of Economics to cover their reporter. In fact, the reporter went to North Korea for a programme which will be aired on the 15th of April.

BBC knew that the students of this group can get involved in this case, due to the assumption that they apparently knew what the purpose of the travel for the reporter was. Actually, the members of the school weren´t fully notified that the BBC used this trip to cover their filming for a Panorama programme with the name "North Korea Undercover".

After both the School and the students commented on the whole situation publicly, BBC decided to release a statement in which they said that “the group was deliberately misled as to the involvement of the BBC in the visit. The line used was that “a journalist” would join the visit."

After BBC admitted that they wronged the students, the school ended the whole situation with one last statement: "What the BBC did was reckless and ethically reprehensible and I am just glad we are not facing a situation where our students are being detained in North Korea."


 

For me, the behaviour of BBC was incomprehensible, because I can´t understand how they can use people like this just to produce a programme. I don´t even want to think about, what I would have done in this situation. I am also happy that nothing happened but this article seriously shocked me.






for further information read the Article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9992716/BBC-accused-of-putting-students-at-risk-after-journalists-infiltrate-university-trip-to-North-Korea.html