Week 13 - 17 | This and that, Strasbourg Music Festival 2015

I skipped a lot of weekly update since London! Time to keep things going now but there really isn't much to say since lately, I'm always cooped up at home. 


8 June 2015
Short hike again in Offenburg

After London trip, I was always at home. I had the "too-much-sightseeing" syndrome. Haha. Before my Lucerne trip I tried to hike just to make my feet comfortable for walking again. I don't want to get easily tired for the trip so my legs need some practice. 


I hiked again to the place where I went last time but the view was completely different now since it is summertime and the grape vines are growing everywhere. I can even see cherry trees along my way there. I found a wild cherry tree and plucked some to eat. They looked so different from the ones that are on sale in the market though, I mean like they are so much smaller. I guess that's what happened when the tree doesn't have much fertilizer. 



A tree that has fallen on my way up. Kind of scary if I think about it. The wind must be really strong.

The top reason I went up there is for the fresh water! Bottled up 2 litres back home. Haha. 

First time seeing a garden slug. At first I thought it was a snail out of a shell. 

Mating season.... :P
Yes, I only have icky stuff to show you today. Slugs and bugs. Hahaha. 



I have always wanted a 90's choker since like last year. I had problem finding them in Malaysia, one day I did found them but it was so expensive so I decided to make my own. I searched for the strings in some handcraft stores but no luck. I tried ordering online too but unfortunately it wasn't suitable to make choker so I kind of wasted some money on it. I forgot about it for awhile and then suddenly I saw someone wearing them in town. So, I walked to the nearest craft shop and I found the magic string! It wasn't cheap either (like 2.50€) but it was better than nothing. Finally, I have my own choker!! Yaaay. 

Before

After

Not only did I changed my hair colour, I even changed my eyebrows' shape. I feel like I'm doing a beauty post instead right now but not really. Hahaha. I have neglected them for quite awhile. Back at home I would pluck them like twice a week but here... pfft, once or twice a month. So everything was growing back and it didn't have a really nice shape. I got inspired by the Korean girl I met in Lucerne, so it brought back the "beauty passion" in me. Time to shape my eyebrow, and I'm doing the popular straight Korean eyebrow shape this time. 
Honestly, I think eyebrows really make a lot of change in one's face. Even though it is just a subtle change but it makes a big difference. I was even giving myself a second or third look when I glanced at the mirror. LOL. 


21 June 2015
Music everywhere

Not much to say, but many pictures!
My housemate Sevda invited to go to the festival with her. She was there last year too and she thought it was very interesting and nice so she decided to go for this year as well. I was pretty lucky to experience this event too. I have never experienced anything like this. Even though it was raining quite heavily for a few minutes, people are still playing their music and dancing on the streets. So, there's a lot of groups playing their own music beside a street or some corner. People just walk around and stop at random places and look at the performance (us included). 

Capoeira dance (Brazilian martial art)

Youth band, which I find the music is horrible. Hahaha

A german band, they were really really good. 

French band. So-so

And then there's people in firefighter costumes dancing Zumba. Idk why, but yeah

Salsa dancing in the rain. What a romantic scene. 

Another French band, playing really popular songs that got everyone really hyped up

Selfie with Sevda!

Bum bum bummm~!
This band reminded me that I was once in a band as well when I was in middle school. Thinking about my past, I was kind of surprised. I mean, I can't believe I was in a band. HAHAHA. Fact, I can play the trumpet and I still know how to. It's integrated in my brain. I've also had the chance to play with the clarinet and side drums as well. Other than that, I have had formal lessons to learn to play the keyboard (the electronic piano, not the QWERTY keyboard). In junior school, I was really good at playing the recorder and I even sang in the choir. Heck, I have also played the keyboard for my choir group too. Wow, look at those achievement that I didn't realize until now. I sound pretty impressive in the music department. Hahahaha! Show-off much

idk what these are called. Erm, drums?


I know what comes to your mind after seeing the picture above.. but all I can say is, do not judge a book by it's cover. This guy's playing was AMAZING. Me and Sevda ended up standing there for like 30 mins or more just to hear him play. He was mainly playing bossa nova songs and I knew some of them (thanks to Olivia Ong). He looked like he was playing nonchalantly as well but it sounded magnificent, I tell ya. 

It was kind of a interesting story of how we ended up finding him actually. He was playing at a really really small and empty street. There wasn't much people walking around and also it was quite far away from the centre (where the crowds usually accumulate). We were planning to catch the second last train back and was walking toward the station, but then I heard a guitar playing and we kind of just followed the music then it led us to him. Then, we stayed and agreed to catch the last train back instead. Everyday is an adventure when you step out of the house. :)

The beautiful cathedral at night. Seriously, everything just looked so different when the sun is out. 

Nope! Even with the fancy lights and all, their music didn't attract me one bit. 
It kind of a shame that you see people gathering because of the crowd. For us, we thought the show up on the big stage will be really good but when they start to play and sing, both of us was utterly disappointed and I was thinking "What kind of noise is this?". Maybe it wasn't my cup of tea either and that's why I find it displeasing. 
Luckily, we did found some gems in the quieter street, I was even dancing (awkwardly) to some of the music. If I was back in Malaysia, I wouldn't dance around. If I did, people would stare at me and think I'm crazy or something. But here, people were expressing themselves through music and dance, it was natural. It was very entertaining and amusing. 

(Abrupt end).


Two more weeks till Europe trip!! And until then, I am going to stay cooped up at home. LOL!

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