Why I love Australia

It's been a while since I've posted something here (no shit sherlock!) and even longer since I've been to Australia. Starting a new job mid march gave me the opportunity for a big trip before landing in a normal life again, and it seemed only reasonable to go visit an old and almostforgotten love of mine.

It only took me a few hours in Sydney to feel like I've come home after a long trip abroad. And now, a few days later, I'm beginning to think that Australia was one of the worst choices to travel to before starting a new job. Why? Because when you go travelling in such a situation, make sure to choose a location that gives you the chance of getting bored and homesick after three weeks. Instead I picked the only two cities in the world that have been marked as "favorites" in my trip advisor calender for over 5 years now.

How come? Well, I've collected a few examples that in combination just make me feel happy:
1. The climate. Not only am I enjoying heat and mild winters, but you should see how amazing my hair looks after washing. For hours on end!
2. So far, Australia is the only country in the world where I feel equally safe crossing a random street as in Switzerland.
3. Earl Grey. You get what you order, and it's good,and if you order it with milk, you will get a little jug of milk rather than coffee creamer. (booh on that most other places (e.g. every non-british influenced country in the world))
4. Diving
5. People. Cordial, uncomplicated, chatty and relaxed
6. Beers. Because there's nothing like a beer after a hot day. Or during a hot day. Or a not so hot day.
7. People II: can't think of any other places with such a high concentration of good looking people (*cough* tan bearded guys in bermudas) to stare at while...
8. ...enjoying some tasty food at one of the cafes in Glebe.

Sydney has a lot of interesting things to offer, like that free short film festival I'll check out tonight to meet some fellow couch surfers. For any of you who might want to see a handsrßtand picture in front of the opera house, I'll have to ask you for some more patience. It has yet to and will be done. Until then, have a nice time in the snow!

Walking Through the Universe

I can't remember when my liking for organizing events and bringing people together started. Probably it was pretty early, when I realized that every time I thought I had found something cool, I felt the need to share it with everyone around me. 


I guess being a Couch Surfer has helped me a lot, too. By hosting people, I got confronted with so many questions and stories that I started exploring my surroundings anew, often realizing for the first time in ages how beautiful Switzerland and especially Zurich are. 


A while ago, I had two couch surfers from the United States and when they asked me about a nice hike for a Sunday afternoon, I recalled a pretty cool little walking tour, called "Planetenweg" (Planet trail), which starts at the Uetliberg train station and goes all along the hilltops until Felsenegg, which is above Adliswil. From there you can take the gondola down and the S4 back to town. The whole walk takes about 1h 20min and leads you through nice meadows with cows on them (sadly they don't have horns, which gives them, although useful, still a pretty dumb look)... What makes this way special is the fact that it is a true to scale miniature of our solar system. You start at the sun which is about 100m away from the train station and you end at Pluto (yay, it's still part of the Planetenweg!) near Felsenegg. So also if you have children visitors, this is definitely something worth doing if the weather is nice yet not too hot and you have a couple of hours to spend.


Unfortunately I have no pictures of the Planetenweg itself, but check out here to find some more information.


I know, there's more to write about and I've been very busy organizing the b-day event lately (and helping others organize events, too), so I'll hopefully soon catch up with a few cool news including pictures :). Hope this one is at least somewhat useful :)


Cheers!

Paintball injuries and bartering review

First of all, the first week of my bartering game was so successful that I somehow managed not to exceed the budget without having to barter. Maybe 30.- is too easy in that case. I should rename the game. But the point is: I saved some money. The funny part about this is: I didn't even have to change that much! Partly because I managed to squeeze all the fun parts in group activities such as barbecues and potluck at my place etc. whereas the aim originally was to avoid bars and restaurants. Turns out it's not only better for the wallet but also offers a great deal of possibilities for being creative. 
(In any case I also thank the kind souls who once or twice invited me to a drink :))


Headaches and bruises
Now about Paintball. The 16 of us made our way to the paintball arena in Unterägeri, here you can find all the necessary information. (if you work in an open office while reading this, you might want to turn the volume down first. It has background sound).

before the bruises

After we got all the protective clothing, the overalls and our gloves on, the fun began. It was my first time in a paintball arena and I was scared to death when I saw with what power those weapons shoot their bullets around!


Nevertheless I did my best (but sucked anyway big time) and I thank the responsible shooter (name known to the author) for waiting until the last game with his multiple headshots that almost knocked me out. (you could have shot on each side of my head so I would have had two horns instead of this awkward lopsided hump! Well, next time, maybe...)

So final balance: Some of us looked like dalmatians, some had just minor bruises, some participants will remember to wear a jockstrap next time, and I got a hump on my forehead. And still I wouldn't have wanted to miss that, not for love or money. 

after the massacre

Thanks many times Markus for organizing this event!

The Burger Quest

There are many ways to find good food in Zürich. The best one is still by exploring all the places yourself. All you need is infinite time, money and space in your stomach.  
(Which, after watching Interstate 60, is not necessarily a worthwile experience. Unfortunately I didn't find an english version of that scene, but only an italian one. I hope you'll get the story anyway. If not, this movie is definitely worth watching.)

What do you think? I used to think that a never full stomach would be cool. Now I'm happy I didn't get the chance to wish that.


The first two Burger Places
Anyway. I'll give you a quick overview about the last two burger episodes of our quest. We actually are working on a scale to evaluate the burgers with equal terms, but so far we haven't yet established it completely. BUT, as I promised some burger information soon, here's the first two.


Korner, the gourmetburger place, got a pretty good score. The restaurant opened its doors about 6 weeks ago and already has a reputation for their burgers. Our group in general came to the conclusion that:

• The burger is extraordinary. Meat quality is very good and the cooking (standard about medium rare) emphasizes the taste very well. Their sauces seem to be nice, although add-ons cost extra, too.
• The side dishes though were a bit disappointing. The fries were overdone and the onion rings were limp and tasteless. The good thing is that they have to be ordered separately, so best thing to do is just to leave them away. 
• Service was nice and correct.
• Price-value is justified, given the special care they invest in the quality and the cooking of the meat (again as long as you don't add side dishes, as they would in my opinion tilt the price value ratio to overpriced). for a decent meal (including sides) you'll end up with about CHF 28-30.-

Conclusion for this place: If you're looking for the best burger in town, period, this one is definitely very high in the ranking. 

The second place we went was Regenbogenbar. Given the fact that they are actually a bar with some added food, their choice of dishes is quite big. But what about the burgers?

• The burger itself is loaded with goodies. Apart from the meat, you get a very well blended mixture of coleslaw, tomato, onions, pickles (if you like them) and sauce. The meat quality, however, doesn't quite match the one in Korner. 
• The sides (fries) are golden and crunchy, and they are included in the basic price. For me personally that's a plus
• The service was - as said, more bar - like but enjoyable
• Price-value is - compared to the other places we've been - very good. You get a meal that will likely stuff you for just a little more than CHF 20.-

That's it for now about the burgers, but we still have a long list of places to check, and I'll keep you posted every now and then. :)

En guete!

Yours, 

Longstocking

Saving Money by Bartering - a Self Test

So I've been checking on my accounts lately and I found out that I've spent way more than I should. (who doesn't?)
And as I don't want to sulk around, I've started working on some ideas. 

• As I'm still working full time, the thought of a side job isn't really appealing. At least the ones that are usually available. So I put this to the side for now.
• I've found some stuff to sell in my cellar, which will probably bring me a buck or two, but that's also not gonna work on the long term. Not only because I'm too lazy to put the effort in selling that stuff over the internet (clean it, take pictures, write a very creative text about it, post it and wait), but also because unfortunately my cellar has limited merchandises to sell. (I could start selling things that aren't even in there yet, and then see how this virtual market will work?)
• I'll walk around with my head bowed from now on, because that increases the chance of finding money. 
• I'll eat at home every now and then. 

And those things all together have a certain guarantee to make my life boring and miserable and lonely.


So, I came up with the following idea. (I tried this before to tease my creativity and to see how far I could get without losing social contacts or miss out on fun.) I'll call it 


The bartering days.

The rules of this "game" are simple. You limit the amount of your own money you're allowed to spend to a pretty low level per day (or per week) and no matter what, no matter when or where, no matter with whom, you mustn't exceed your limit. Which will, and should, of course be a bit tricky. And that's where you can get a bargain or a treat for little money and save me a beer or two a night. 
I'll start this weekend with an amount of 30 francs a day/210 francs a week and I'll offer a certain amount of services to friends and acquaintances in exchange for either money or stuff I need. For example:

• 5 minutes shoulder-/neck-massage: a small beer or CHF 5.-
• 10 minutes shoulder-/neck-massage: a big(5dl) beer or CHF 10.-
• Cook dinner if you bring the ingredients: I get to eat dinner as well
• Proofread german texts: depending on complexity / length
• 30 minutes back massage: CHF 25.- or food of approx. equal value (this would have to be arranged in advance because it's probably something i could only do in public at the rentewiese)

Just ask me about those when you see me next time. I'm also open to further (decent) suggestions :)

Uh, that's going to be a tough challenge. (btw the reason I wrote and published this all is not only to advertise my services but also to force myself to stick to it because now I can't back down. F**k.

Red Solo Cup and Rodeo Challenge!

Aye people! 

Now this is an event you mustn't miss, not just because it actually happens in the "Rote Fabrik" which was literally on fire last week. Also not only because it's the first event, kind of the pilot event of hopefully more and other ones to come, organized by a friend of mine. (No, it's not me. I do actually have some friends.) 

But because first of all they do have Red Solo Cups. Which - contrary to popular Swiss people's belief - has got nothing to do with being single (solo) but is the brand name of those ominous cups we didn't find here when we wanted to play beer pong. They are pretty much this:

And that's STILL not the only reason to go there. (No, I'm not bringing up the mechanical bull yet, pssht!). For those who dare swinging their hips, there will be a line dance, and if you would like to practise, just put this one on repeat and clean your living room :) (please DO film yourself and post it in the comments :))

And last but not least, the best reason of all: The mechanical bull. Girls, if you manage to go on like this, you might even win a prize: 

(of course guys who can keep up that long might be rewarded, too ;))
Well... Now if this isn't enough for you, maybe the fact that there's no entry fee until 10pm will change your mind? :) 

Details

Place: Rote Fabrik, Zürich

Date: Friday, May 18th

Time: from 9 pm (no entry fee before 10 pm)

Entry Fee: CHF 15.-

Well then, see you there! Yeehaw! 

Yours sincerely

Longstocking.

The Rhubarb Thing

Rhubarb is a pretty addictive thing. I'm kind of glad it's only available in spring. Otherwise I'd probably eat (or bake) myself to death. I once got a really easy recipe for a Rhubarb cake which seems to be the perfect gourmet killer. (Thank you, mom!). The only annoying thing about it is if you don't have much time and your knife is not sharp as hell, preparing the rhubarb is equally annoying as getting caught in spiderwebs and having to get rid of them. those fibres (talking about the rhubarb again) stick to your knife, your fingers, your hands and just won't get off! 

The rest is easy. I'll post the recipe, whose origins are not known to me, as my mum got the recipe for a friend of hers and you know how it is with mums. they gather and exchange about everything.


So here it goes. You need: 
500g of frehsly cut rhubarb
3 eggs
200g of sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar
100g butter
200g flour
1/2 pack baking powder


Heat the oven to about 180°C (hot air).


Mix it all somehow and done. Too vague? *sigh* okay. You will also need one of those:

Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar and butter really hard until you get a fluffy bright-yellow mass that tastes delicious (advice: don't taste it; you might want to eat the whole batter).

Stift together the flour and the baking powder and mix it with the batter to create a bigger mass of delicious dough. 

Then, there's two tricks to use:

First: before you mess with the rhubarb pieces, put some flour on them, it will keep the pieces from sinking in during the baking. 

Second: butter and flour the form before pouring the dough in, it will save you from having to piece the cake together again after trying to get it out of it. 

Then mix the rhubarb with the dough and pour it into the form. Bake for about 40 minutes, check, and most of the time you'll need another 10 minutes. I use a little knife and stab the cake (you never know, it could jump out if you weren't careful) in the middle and the more of it's guts are sticking on the blade, the stickier the cake will be. I don't wait until the lame is clean, but it shouldn't be all doughy. 


Caution: Don't lick the blade unless you're experienced with dangerous weapons. (Or if you're a politician. Then it's totally ok if you cut your tongue off.)


After baking get the cake out of the form and let it cool down a little. 


Bon appetit! :)


P.S. you can also bake this cake with all kinds of berries or cherries (not only because it rhymes.) But if you take cherries, remember that unless berries, they have a pretty solid core. Good news is nobody can sue you if they lose teeth when eating your cherry cake as they have to expect something like that when eating it (like fish with bones or olive pits and so on). But if you value your friends, make sure you get rid of the pits first.