sunday song

the bryan ferry orchestra, love is the drug

i love sundays. no matter what weather, be it snow or rain, hot or cold … cold and grey in this case.
the best excuse to sleep in, waste time at the breakfast table, hang around at home, candle light, hot chocolate, a good read and this album.

winter is here

it's been a while. work has kept me from … almost everything. but i have some stories and pictures to share in a little while. winter is here! the first snow just arrived today and i am counting the days to christmas. that is warm and fun family times, being away from the office, sleeping in, maybe even going out ..ha!

last weekend i had a christmas day and evening with some of my best friends. not all of us will be home for christmas so we decided to antedate our celebration. we let the day go by listening to cheesy christmas songs, baking, drinking wine and having a yummy dinner. such goods times. we're thinking of making a thanksgiving dinner next year.

what are you unto this weekend? we're planning to finally finish building our closet! and go to the christmas market (literally around the corner from our apartment) for some mulled wine. 

saturday song

asaf avidian, one day/reckoning song (wankelmut remix).

the best moment. dancing wild and crazy with my brother on my wedding day.

saturday song

the xx feat. florence welsh, you've got the love.

oh, how i love this song. and oh the memories, they bring a smile to face every single time i hear this song. 

saturday song

maximo park, books from boxes.

my second family, aka my former flat share in cologne, is celebrating today. birthdays, a baby, someone leaving and someone coming … and it might just be the last celebration of this sort. so i will be there. i can't wait to surprise them.

london

i've enjoyed a wonderful week in london. off of work, visiting my parents, enjoying fall's sunny and rainy days and being in britain. it felt so good to sleep in and just live to the day. although i couldn't quite keep myself from checking my emails at least once a day. i am such an addict …
but i also got around to do some cultural program. we visited windsor castle, which was quite interesting actually, although i was disappointed that the queen wasn't there that sunday afternoon. and we also went to saatchi gallery to see some contemporary art. by the way it's amazing, in london most museums are admission free. i especially liked the installation by richard wilson, the paper installations and these children's portraits.

one afternoon my mom took me for a tea time date at the mansion. it was such great fun. you usually go to a hotel bar or parlor in the afternoon time. they ask to make a the tea choice from the menu and then you are served all sorts of goodies; sandwiches, chocolate, cake but always scones with clotted cream and marmalade. i love it.

 

i also had coffee with my cousins, went to see the commitments, did a little shopping and binged on some tv shows. did i already mention how much i love fall? i love fall. and i'm actually looking forward to winter.

sunday song

cat power, wonder wall.

a long weekend

last weekend was a long one, thanks to our national holiday on thursday. i completely indulged in a weekend on my own. i slept in and let one day go by with only reading my book, cooking, reading again ... i am back to another book by paul auster, moon palace, which my brother gave me on my wedding day. i love this book not only for the story being told, but also for the story my brother connected to it. his inscription says a book about life, new york and the search for happiness [...] oh!
i went to yoga class several times, strolled around the city and visited a couple of coffee shops i wanted to try (one and two) and a great bookstore in mitte, where i purchased an issue of kinfolk magazine. i was wanting to get one for a while now. the current topic 'the art of weekend' just got me. it's something that's been on my mind for a while. how can i get the most of my time off of work? bring things in balance even if the amount of time spent on work vs. the amount of time that is left to myself seems completely out of proportion ...
i guess the conclusion i've come upon for now is to find an answer to this each and every time there is a day off or an evening to spend or a weekend to hit the road ... or just the couch.

sunday song

florence and the machine, no light no light

we think alone

ever so often i stumble upon miranda july. i read her book no one belongs here more than you. twice actually. first in german a couple of years ago. and then i missed miranda's stories and felt like reading some more and asked for a book of her's for my birthday. my brother gave me this book and of course i read it, only realizing why the stories felt so familiar with the very last story.

and then there's learning to love you more. a collection of tasks to learn and find about the people and things around us. and about your self. it's sweet and it really makes you or well, me at least, want to be researcher and spend more time investigating. photograph a scar and write about it, record your own guided meditation, take a picture of strangers holding hands, give advice to yourself in the past, make an encouraging banner ... i think i love it so much because it has all these real stories in store for us. those of strangers and at the same time those that are our own.

i signed up to we think alone a couple of weeks ago. every week now i receive an email, or better a collection of ten emails dedicated to one topic. you get to peek into someone else's life, it feels special reading a personal thing like an email that's not meant for you. this week i received 'a sad email'. so emational, delicate and lovely. six more weeks to go. you can still sign up.

saturday song

martina topley-bird feat. mark lanegan - crystalised

hello fall

it's been a long time since i took the time for a blog post. summer felt so short and so long at the same time, it was intense. overwhelming. and i'm not quite ready for it to be over. i want to cherish it just a little bit longer. and also, i'm just not ready for the mean berlin winter to roll over me.

so here's to fall! 

last weekend we took the train out east to spend the weekend in the countryside with our friends. they just bought this huge piece of land, with a house and a huge garden. it's still a building site, and will be for a while. but i had the best time hanging out, picking apples, pears and plums ... we visited a vegetable farmer to buy fresh ingredients for our dinner. i sat in a rocking chair chatting away with maria while she cooked our meal. i almost forgot how calming a fire can be. and long walks in fresh air.

may there be many more weekends like this one and may fall delight us with sunshine and blue skies.

fall makes me want to celebrate thanksgiving this year. i want to have our tiny place filled with lovely people red wine and good food. 

A good read ...

... is worth so much more than just the price a book may cost. i love to read, always have, but eversince i started worklife my reading habit has becomd a lazy one. i really long for those books i can get lost in. i just finished 'sunset park' by Paul Auster. And somehow he got me again. Originally i planned on reading it during my time in new york, but as you know, i spent my time there being busy with other things. So i read it in berlin on the way to work, in bed, on the couch and underway. i couldn't stop and once i was finished i was sad it was over. Unless a story bores me, that always happens to me.

Anyway, now i am super excited to read the second edition of Susan Sontag's diaries 'As Concioussness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks'.

PS. I can also recommend 'The fault in our stars' by John Green.

lately ...

... it's been quite quiet around here. i've been busy working, we moved into our new office, and crafting for my own benefit for once, finishing our invitations. hurray!

we did have a glimpse of summer these past weeks, but fall is back, which made me want to bake and be lazy on the weekends. i took the chance to finally try out this rhubarb cake recipe which i found on one of my favorite blogs (it's in german though) and it turned out amazing ... i just love rhubarb. anyway, i'll be back soon.

saturday song

björk, all is full of love

central park

Central park is most definitely a place worth exploring. To me it is packed with vague childhood memories and at the same time always packed with new things to explore and discover. Hot dogs, balloons, cotton candy, the turtle pond, the baseball diamond, the benches dedicated to special people, the runners, bikers, dog walkers …

This stay's central park memory is the spontaneous park party we came across and joined in on one sunny saturday. It was the coolest crowd: dancers of all ages, colors and sizes, skaters, drag queens, locals and tourists danced to the sounds of the Djs musicbox and most fascinating even joined in on a choreographed group routine.

What's your favorite central park memory, activity, place?

a documentary

The other night, my friend Linda took me to the movies and we went to see 'Searching for Sugarman'. I didn't know much about it (it actually won an academy award for best documentary this year) and was quite astonished by this movie about two south african guys on the quest to discover the story of their hero, the singer Rodriguez. And it truly is an amazing story. It's full of life's curiosities and wonders and left me with the happiest feeling.
Go and watch it if you get the chance to and find out about their discovery!
Here's Rodriguez's song, Sugarman.

saturday song

yann tiersen, la valse d'amelie.

bisous de paris!

paris

one day while i was in new york we decided to go to paris together. after one week of workshop for him i'd join him for the weekend. after we booked the flights i stumbled upon this sign somewhere in the streets of new york, already anticipating the next trip. oh what a treat! i'm leaving tomorrow and i can't wait.
even if the weather forecast predicts three days of rain, i don't care, we'll hang out with rodin or the other masters in the louvre, eat croissants and have wine and cheese, take a rainy walk by the seine and ...
à bietntôt mes amis!

coney island

i've been busy with work and a birthday celebration this week, and skipping my promised new york posts. so today i want to share my coney island pictures. one sunny day, we did make it out there!
i was anticipating this trip to be an emotional one. and it was! it was a slow weekday, the vendors just opening from the winter break.
i was smitten with soft, colorful, warm and happy childhood memories, my dad taking us out there for cotton candy, running down the wooden walkway stirring up the seagulls, not being able to go on some of the rides for being too small, building sand castles and having wet feet. jenni and i even went for a ride on the (baby) flying swing.

sunday song

little dragon, ritual union.

spring is here - let's dance!

berlin is blessed with a bright and sunny sunday - i hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

new york, my love

i finally found the time to go through the pictures i took during my trip to new york. needless to say, that the model was an easy one to take pictures of, since new york welcomed us with sunshine and blue skies. oh, good times. what a wonderful trip.
next to the conference we visited the first two days, we spent most of the time eating delicious food and wandering brooklyn and manhattan.

we stayed in the quincy house in bed-stuy. so on our way to the G-line each morning we stopped by the wonderful scratch-bread for coffee and a scone or popover or oatmeal chunky or flatbread sandwich.
on sunday though we spend the morning at tiny-cup, where i had the best bagel of my life, well my entire stay at least. seriously, if the guy you can see in the picture would have been a well enough singer or um ... not there, egg-avocado-tomato bagel plus a good black coffee, heaven.

i just realized this is the new york breakfast post - and in case it isn't obvious, i love breakfast - so one last place we discovered in dumbo, west elm's market. i resisted buying soap, candles and various kitchen goods and decided to just have coffee (and a bagel from the nearby bagel shop) and browse through their lovely cook books. Next to selling very nice things, they also are very nice people working there, letting us hang out with their coffee but other place's bagels (germans, we should follow this example).

sunday song

nouvelle vague, eisbär.

saturday song

jay-z ft. santogold, brooklyn we go hard.

i'm back from new york - it was such a blast!

i've got tons of pictures and stories to share.

saturday song

woodkid, brooklyn.

these days, i'm actually living here :)

saturday song

frank sinatra, new york new york.

my man played this song for me when i booked my flight.

no need to say more.

NYC here I come!

i am so excited! Only four more days to go before i leave for NEW YORK! in my mind, i'm already packing my bags and picturing myself in the big city. i can't wait. the main excuse to go was/is iGDN, the founding conference of the international Gender Design Network, which will take place at Parsons and is hosted by my former professor Dr. Uta Brandes. and she asked me and two of my friends (also co-workers) to give a talk! it's only a short input session, but i am still ... nervous.

and then there's catching up with an old friend, getting to know jenni's new york, going to the moma, ps 1, coney island to re-experience childhood memories and just taking it all in!
do you have any special recommendations for me?

image above via maquimk

a weekend in berlin

this weekend, after this very cold and especially annoying onset of winter the last two weeks, the sun finally decided to show her face again. so we used the chance to go for a long and sunny walk on the tempelhofer feld, the old airport field that is now being used as a park and recreation space. there were people skating, running, playing soccer, flying kites and just walking enjoying the sun. it was so refreshing and reminded me of how amazing this unique park really is in summer.

afterwards we checked in geschwister nothaft, a small café in neukölln run by a couple of siblings, for waffles and hot chocolate. it was delicious!