There are no muffin tops in Vienna (except mine... grrr). But these sleeping bags with the feet cut out of them are everywhere....
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Sleeping bags on legs...
There are no muffin tops in Vienna (except mine... grrr). But these sleeping bags with the feet cut out of them are everywhere....
Back to the Naschmarkt
I don't understand... it's -2 degrees, and people think it's a good idea to stand OUTSIDE while a man shucks them oysters to have with champagne (okay, the oysters and bubbles I understand, but outside in the snowy wet?)As for the rest of the market, I'm in heaven. Gluhwein, truffles, sweet potato, elderberry vinegar, asian spices, tofu, quail's eggs, whole bunnies. Enough said.
It's snowing!!
and -2C. I didn't realise the irony of the poster behind me until after I'd taken the pic. Apparently, it's really warm and green here in summer.... hard to imagine today!!
Energy Nerd Alert: Energy efficiency in cold climates
I've been really interested to see some of the things that Alex and Verena take for granted, like switching off lights, closing doors to keep the heat in, and other 'good habits' that Australia could learn a lot from (making our homes more comfortable, and our bills cheaper, in the process).
Good design is, by necessity, instinctive here – the cold winter climate demands double glazing, double doors, super thick walls and proper door seals as standard.
Austrians are apparently quite proud of their record in energy efficience and renewables, according to the Austrian Energy Agency.
Heat pumps are used extensively in industry and domestic heating plant (economically viable because most people live in 3-5 storey apartment buildings with shared plant) to recover and reuse waste heat, reducing CO2e emissions by some 850,000 tonnes per year.
About 22% of Austria’s energy comes from renewable sources - about half of it is hydro, the other half mostly biomass, with a tiny contribution from wind turbines (some of which we passed on our way to Melk, see below) – placing it third behind Sweden and Finland. The remainder comes from fossil fuels.
Good design is, by necessity, instinctive here – the cold winter climate demands double glazing, double doors, super thick walls and proper door seals as standard.
Austrians are apparently quite proud of their record in energy efficience and renewables, according to the Austrian Energy Agency.
Heat pumps are used extensively in industry and domestic heating plant (economically viable because most people live in 3-5 storey apartment buildings with shared plant) to recover and reuse waste heat, reducing CO2e emissions by some 850,000 tonnes per year.
About 22% of Austria’s energy comes from renewable sources - about half of it is hydro, the other half mostly biomass, with a tiny contribution from wind turbines (some of which we passed on our way to Melk, see below) – placing it third behind Sweden and Finland. The remainder comes from fossil fuels.
Eine wordt für heute...
I wish I'd thought of this earlier, so I could have truly entered 'a word for today' each day... but here's how my German has improved in Vienna, and some of the long (and therefore impressive) words I have learned here.
Wednesday: Zeit (time). As in 'time until we reach Vienna' on the plane...
Thursday: Kurbis (pumpkin). Alex spent ages trying to describe this enormous green vegetable... he didn't say it was orange on the inside!
Friday: Strassenbahn Haltestelle (tram stop - literally 'street rail stopping place'). If there is a long and complicated way of saying something, the German language will generally find it.
Saturday: Schlagobersgupf (a topping of whipped cream). You see it on a lot of cafe menus, in the 'heisse schokolade' section.
Sunday: Heurigen, Weinstube (pub that sells wine). I didn't really learn this word today, but all the other days had words already by the time the heurigens open at 4pm...
Old, gorgeous, practical...
One of the things I like about Vienna (and a lot of other places in Europe), whcih is different from Melbourne, is that the old buildings are still in use. Many of Melbourne's grand old dames of architecture have been shut up as museums. The Parliament and Town Hall (fittingly, the home of city politicians is the Rathaus in german) in Vienna are two gorgeous buildings, near the Hofburg (no surprises there), but Alex tells me they regularly hold raves in the Rathaus, and the lawns out front of it are covered with about 6 ice skating rinks. Very much in keeping with the notion of Prater for the People... I guess, when everyone lives in apartment buildings, public open space is even more important...
Come on Wien, you can do better than this...
On the Ringstrasse (the tram line that runs around the inner city perimeter, in a space that used to be a defensive wall until it was pulled down in the late 1700s), I saw...... this!
For those who don't know, Fosters is a beer made in Australia. Outside Australia, it's about the only beer one ever sees. Thing is, NO-ONE in Australia actually drinks it (if there's ANYthing else available).
Those interested in Australia's better beers should take a look at Coopers, James Boag, microbreweries Little Creatures or Mountain Goat, or Melbourne's favourite super brewer, Carlton United Breweries, which apart from being responsible for Fosters, also makes creditable drops including Crown and Cascade.
For those who don't know, Fosters is a beer made in Australia. Outside Australia, it's about the only beer one ever sees. Thing is, NO-ONE in Australia actually drinks it (if there's ANYthing else available).
Those interested in Australia's better beers should take a look at Coopers, James Boag, microbreweries Little Creatures or Mountain Goat, or Melbourne's favourite super brewer, Carlton United Breweries, which apart from being responsible for Fosters, also makes creditable drops including Crown and Cascade.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Friday:Tommy tourist rides the big wheel
Alex took me out to the Prater today, a huge park given to the people by the Habsburg emperors in the 19th century, today the site of the largest amusement park I have ever seen (Melbournites, take the Melbourne Showgrounds in september, take away all the animal sheds and ovals and fill the spaces with rides. Then double it.) This place is huge!!
A key attraction is the Prater Wheel - a massive ferris wheel that's been there for decades - way before any Millennium Wheel. The view from up here is amazing - and dispels all notions of Vienna as a baroque city stuck in some time warp. Beyond the gorgeous inner suburbs lies a thoroughly modern city, with factories, power plants, huge hospitals that dominate the skyline and, tucked behind the Cathedral of St Francis of Assissi (see pic below), the UN megalith. And, as you can see, a dense mix of smog and fog. I'd love to come back some sunny day and see how much is actually pollution. I guess this is the 'dirty' and resource hungry side of intensely concentrated population that as tourists, we seldom see. Its a sobering thought - because even in our urban centres (Melbourne, Sydney) it's possible to get out of town in under an hour and see areas where human incursion is minimal. Europe has been so settled for so long, that the human presence dominates the landscape - everywhere is cleared and settled, farmed, mined or, just sometimes, reserved as carefully tended public open space. I'm not homesick, but I have a new appreciation of home, and how important it is to preserve what we have there...
Idealistic moment over, after the wheel, we went for hot chocolate, and tourist shopping. Vienna's favourite historical figures - Mozart and 'Sissi' (Kaiserin Elisabeth, wife of Emperor Franz Josef, more about her later) are everywhere... on teacups, chocolates, liquers...
Back in the inner city, I finally indulged my craving for schnitzel, at the very laid back 'Einstein' - aptly named as it's a fave hangout for students at the local university. Good student prices too ($A8 for a schnitzel with potato salad and horseradish carrot, and $A5 daily specials - orroit!).
Alex is full of uni stories today... later in the afternoon, he tells me that classes for history students are held INSIDE the Hofburg, the truly awesome Habsburg palace that features about 8 major wings and is now home to the national library, Spanish riding school, no less than 3 churches, a bunch of museums, and still hosts all the major state functions for the city. Photos can never do this place justice... you have to walk around it, through it and get totally lost in it to appreciate that this was the home of ONE FAMILY (and their five thousand nearest and dearest relatives, friends, retainers and trusted servants) for over 600 years. Nevertheless, I've tried - the pic below shows part of the 'New Palace', which was only ever half finished (!!), and which comprises only about 15% of the total...
A key attraction is the Prater Wheel - a massive ferris wheel that's been there for decades - way before any Millennium Wheel. The view from up here is amazing - and dispels all notions of Vienna as a baroque city stuck in some time warp. Beyond the gorgeous inner suburbs lies a thoroughly modern city, with factories, power plants, huge hospitals that dominate the skyline and, tucked behind the Cathedral of St Francis of Assissi (see pic below), the UN megalith. And, as you can see, a dense mix of smog and fog. I'd love to come back some sunny day and see how much is actually pollution. I guess this is the 'dirty' and resource hungry side of intensely concentrated population that as tourists, we seldom see. Its a sobering thought - because even in our urban centres (Melbourne, Sydney) it's possible to get out of town in under an hour and see areas where human incursion is minimal. Europe has been so settled for so long, that the human presence dominates the landscape - everywhere is cleared and settled, farmed, mined or, just sometimes, reserved as carefully tended public open space. I'm not homesick, but I have a new appreciation of home, and how important it is to preserve what we have there...
Idealistic moment over, after the wheel, we went for hot chocolate, and tourist shopping. Vienna's favourite historical figures - Mozart and 'Sissi' (Kaiserin Elisabeth, wife of Emperor Franz Josef, more about her later) are everywhere... on teacups, chocolates, liquers...
Back in the inner city, I finally indulged my craving for schnitzel, at the very laid back 'Einstein' - aptly named as it's a fave hangout for students at the local university. Good student prices too ($A8 for a schnitzel with potato salad and horseradish carrot, and $A5 daily specials - orroit!).
Alex is full of uni stories today... later in the afternoon, he tells me that classes for history students are held INSIDE the Hofburg, the truly awesome Habsburg palace that features about 8 major wings and is now home to the national library, Spanish riding school, no less than 3 churches, a bunch of museums, and still hosts all the major state functions for the city. Photos can never do this place justice... you have to walk around it, through it and get totally lost in it to appreciate that this was the home of ONE FAMILY (and their five thousand nearest and dearest relatives, friends, retainers and trusted servants) for over 600 years. Nevertheless, I've tried - the pic below shows part of the 'New Palace', which was only ever half finished (!!), and which comprises only about 15% of the total...
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Foodies' day
Alex had to work Thursday so I took myself off into town, to see if my wits and VERY basic German can still get by in a strange country. Managed to not get lost, and found the place I was looking for – tucked behind opulent Staatsoper (Opera house), lies the decadent Hotel Sacher, where ‘Sacher torte’ was invented...
Disaster! The cafe was closed for a private function!! Not having a spare 35 euros ($A60) for an entree sized pumpkin and truffle risotto (the cheapest thing on the Sacher Restaurant menu), I wandered about til I found a pub, an Irish pub, no less, where zuccini and paprika soup, and a pint, set me back the princely sum of 6.80 euros (about $A10.50). I'm loving this exchange rate (an Aussie dollar now buys about 62 euro cents, well up on the 50c or so when I was here three years ago. Yay.)
As for Sacher, I found a postcard with a recipe for making it, in the Staatsoper shop, but it's no substitute. I'm going back there Saturday...
Met Alex after work at the Nachtsmarket, where all the Viennese chefs buy their ingredients from. They were the best looking vegies and most diverse range of foods I’ve ever seen anywhere in europe – even in major cities you struggle to find even basic ‘ethnic’ foods like soy sauce, curry paste, or couscous. Don’t even bother searching in supermarkets. Yes, really. Mind you, when places do a schnitzel and mash the way Viennese do (its not called 'Wiener' schnitzel for nothing!) who wants couscous?
Had dinner last night at an awesomely massive underground beer-and-wine hall in the cellars of a house built in 1339. Wine comes in 250mL tankards, beer in steins, and most dishes are around $A10 - my goulash (lots of hungarian influences here, 'cos the Austrian Hapsburg empire included all of Hungary for centuries) was so fabulously stewed it almost fell off the fork. Live music (broadway hits played on squeezebox and guitar – very rustic!) was free. These vast, cavernous places are dotted all over Vienna and this one, called the 12 Apostles, is GORGEOUS, complete with 'toilet madam', one of those lonely looking older women who sit at a table all day collecting 20c from everyone each time they take a leak, and keeping the facilities clean and tidy. Sadly, my camera battery was dead, so no pix... grrr... until I went back on Saturday to snap this rather unglam self portrait. But you can see how gorgeous the cellar is. We got rather merry over a couple of wines before staggering home, so I could call the lovely Anthony. He was sleepy, and lovely, and I miss him lots and wish he was here to share this adventure with me...
Travel tip #1: How to beat jetlag on a 21 hr flight
I've got this thing licked today. First, book a flight to Europe that leaves Melbourne in the middle of the afternoon. Stay awake all the way to Asia, 'til you're back on the plane, have had your first meal and watched a movie after your stopover. Have 2 vodkas, and then sleep all the way to breakfast - about 10 hrs. Arrive in Europe between 6 and 8am. Stay up all day. Have 2 glasses of wine, fall asleep before midnight, wake up refreshed and ready to go the next morning.
I haven't worked out how to do the return journey yet, but that's 12 months away, so I'll worry about it then....
I haven't worked out how to do the return journey yet, but that's 12 months away, so I'll worry about it then....
Bloodz Euro kezboards!
They're the bane of touch typists in every language - keyboards that are 'nearly but not quite' the same as at home... Virtually ALL the symbols, and some of the letters even, are in the 'wrong' place... who knew that anyone needs to type the letter 'y' so damned often?!?!
Knowing me, I'll get it mastered just in time to reach the UK, only to find that it's different again! Must change that bit on my CV about touch typing at 60wpm... hmmm
Knowing me, I'll get it mastered just in time to reach the UK, only to find that it's different again! Must change that bit on my CV about touch typing at 60wpm... hmmm
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
First gorgeous old building...
The first of many, no doubt, but it was a good one. Alex took me out to the Stift Melk, or Melk Abbey, which has housed Benedictine Monks since 1089, although it's been expanded and rebuilt a few times since then....
From this:
To this...
It totally dominates the skyline of the tiny town, population 900, about 60 kms west from Vienna (Wien to the locals). And no wonder - with 500 rooms, more than 1400 windows, and boasting a church dome peaking at 64 metres tall (you can see the church fully enclosed by the later buildings, towards the left in this shot above) ... today, it is still home to a small community of Benedictines, as well as a private school for 900 students. The abbey controls more than 5000 hectares of farming, forestry and winegrape growing lands, and hosts half a million visitors a year. So that's how they've funded the amazing restoration of this incredible Baroque-era work of art...
The Marble Hall, below, was once used only by the visiting Hapsburg Royalty, complete wtih frescoed ceiling, featuring an optical illusion built in to make the ceiling appear higher than it is (yes, really!). The entire south wing (left hand side of the pic above, and more than 150 metres long) was set aside for their use. The Empress Marie Therese never visited with less than 300 attendants in her retinue...
This is the largest of 12 rooms in the library, which houses more than 100,000 books in total, 1500 of them predating the invention of the printing press. With permission from the abbott, any bona fide student can seek permission to search the collection (I wonder if he would notice I don't really speak German). The oldest known book in Austria, more than 1000 years old, lives here... I'm in heaven...
The church was, for centuries, open only to the Monks. The entire ceiling is covered in frescoes, and the dozen or so side altars are all as slathered in gold leaf as the main pulpit, below. A recent restoration in here required 4kgs of the stuff!!! Nowadays, services are open to the public every Sunday, complete with 3,500 pipe organ. Apparently, this gorgeousness was supposed to bring you closer to God by creating a little heaven on earth... I don't know if it worked, but it sure is stunning...
From this:
To this...
It totally dominates the skyline of the tiny town, population 900, about 60 kms west from Vienna (Wien to the locals). And no wonder - with 500 rooms, more than 1400 windows, and boasting a church dome peaking at 64 metres tall (you can see the church fully enclosed by the later buildings, towards the left in this shot above) ... today, it is still home to a small community of Benedictines, as well as a private school for 900 students. The abbey controls more than 5000 hectares of farming, forestry and winegrape growing lands, and hosts half a million visitors a year. So that's how they've funded the amazing restoration of this incredible Baroque-era work of art...
The Marble Hall, below, was once used only by the visiting Hapsburg Royalty, complete wtih frescoed ceiling, featuring an optical illusion built in to make the ceiling appear higher than it is (yes, really!). The entire south wing (left hand side of the pic above, and more than 150 metres long) was set aside for their use. The Empress Marie Therese never visited with less than 300 attendants in her retinue...
This is the largest of 12 rooms in the library, which houses more than 100,000 books in total, 1500 of them predating the invention of the printing press. With permission from the abbott, any bona fide student can seek permission to search the collection (I wonder if he would notice I don't really speak German). The oldest known book in Austria, more than 1000 years old, lives here... I'm in heaven...
The church was, for centuries, open only to the Monks. The entire ceiling is covered in frescoes, and the dozen or so side altars are all as slathered in gold leaf as the main pulpit, below. A recent restoration in here required 4kgs of the stuff!!! Nowadays, services are open to the public every Sunday, complete with 3,500 pipe organ. Apparently, this gorgeousness was supposed to bring you closer to God by creating a little heaven on earth... I don't know if it worked, but it sure is stunning...
You can buy Pineapple Lumps in Wien!!!!
Okay, this won't make sense if you're not Kiwi, or maybe you also have to be a member of the Cundall family. But on my very first day, in the supermarket, there they were. On special. I haven't tried them yet to see if they taste the same...
Melbourne to Vienna…
The last few days have been too mad for writing – a dizzying rush from joblists to farewells to last minute requests (like that 10 minute presentation I had to prepare for a job interview that will be held just hours after I arrive in London, so had to be researched before I left).
I survived that last minute dose of “what am I DOING” as I finally realised how awful it is to not see the fabulous Anthony for at least 8 weeks. I survived the worst airline salad ever (a bowl of tinned corn, with spanish onion, 1.5 cherry tomatoes (halved), some feta and vinagrette) and Mr “I love Frankston” (it was written on his tshirt) with the gorgeous mullet and rats tail hair, in the seat next to me. Mark Batty, I thought of you...
And suddenly I’m in Vienna.
Half a world away doesn't feel nearly so far away this time. Maybe it's because I have now done this long-haul thing five times (*shudders at greenhouse implications*), or because Viennese German is much easier to understand than 'German' German. Or maybe because email makes it so easy to stay in touch with people at home.
Friday, February 17, 2006
What every selfrespecting traveller needs - a guide to ecotourism
I was so stoked to discover this site!
http://www.green-business.co.uk
Every green hotel, hostel and restaurant, rated by nationally accredited environmental auditors. I wonder if they have jobs going too....
http://www.green-business.co.uk
Every green hotel, hostel and restaurant, rated by nationally accredited environmental auditors. I wonder if they have jobs going too....
A very Melbourne night...
It was a fabulously silly way to start bidding adieu to Melbourne - a night at the Moonlight Cinema, which screens in the gorgeous Botanical Gardens, in the open air. On the card that evening was "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", so we took a red and gold blanket to create a Gryffindor table at our very own Hogwarts feast, complete with long cloaks and Harry Potter birthday cake (which was even yummier this morning when I had some for breakfast!)
Happily, Melbourne didn't return the favour by deciding to rain. It was a clear and balmy night, and the flying foxes were out in force, soaring across the screen at strangely appropriate moments throughout the film. And the mozzies stayed at bay.
Special thanks to Jurgen and Mica for dressing up as Arthur and Molly Weasley, Lizzie for hiking in and out on her crutches, and Nicola and Ants for fabulous food, company and cleaning up.
I will miss you. A lot.
Happily, Melbourne didn't return the favour by deciding to rain. It was a clear and balmy night, and the flying foxes were out in force, soaring across the screen at strangely appropriate moments throughout the film. And the mozzies stayed at bay.
Special thanks to Jurgen and Mica for dressing up as Arthur and Molly Weasley, Lizzie for hiking in and out on her crutches, and Nicola and Ants for fabulous food, company and cleaning up.
I will miss you. A lot.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Sniffing out bargains...
Okay, so any discussion of a 'bargain' in London is a relative concept. What one really means is "less expensive than the more expensive 'normal' option. But to those of you who are considering a trip to this neck of the woods, here are some of the best moneysavers I've been able to find:
1/ Join English Heritage - Re-enactor's paradise! For 36 quid ($85) you get free entry for a year to about 300 castles, ruins etc that the average punter pays up to 12.50 each (that's $A30!) to see... including Stonehenge, London's Wellington Arch and lots of bits of Hadrian's wall. Scottish and Welsh heritage sites are half price. Forget about the "Great British Heritage Pass" (free entry to all 3 countries for $A100/week or $175/month) unless you're doing a 'whistlestop tour of everything' in under a month.
2/London Pass - comes in 1,2,3 or 6 day packages, giving free entry to lots of London's best attractions. Comes with an "unlimited travel" pass option for an extra 5-6 quid (normally an unlimited travel ticket is 12 quid/day, a zone 1-2 card is 6 quid).
3/ Prepaid tickets from VisitBritain. Madame Tussauds, London cards (without travel) and Britrail passes are available here and cheaper than buying them in the UK. Give the London Eye offer a miss though - it's $2 cheaper if you book it online yourself at their website.
4/ Travelex - they guarantee that their online exchange rate quote is the best you'll find. And so far they beat my bank, the exchange place around the corner from work, and the other 'providers of travellers cheques' places I've found.
5/ Tips from "Let's go" - apparently the best ways to save dosh are to eat lots of cheap indian curries and catch buses (cheaper than the tube). Heaven help my fellow travellers, but okay...
What did we do before we had the internet??
1/ Join English Heritage - Re-enactor's paradise! For 36 quid ($85) you get free entry for a year to about 300 castles, ruins etc that the average punter pays up to 12.50 each (that's $A30!) to see... including Stonehenge, London's Wellington Arch and lots of bits of Hadrian's wall. Scottish and Welsh heritage sites are half price. Forget about the "Great British Heritage Pass" (free entry to all 3 countries for $A100/week or $175/month) unless you're doing a 'whistlestop tour of everything' in under a month.
2/London Pass - comes in 1,2,3 or 6 day packages, giving free entry to lots of London's best attractions. Comes with an "unlimited travel" pass option for an extra 5-6 quid (normally an unlimited travel ticket is 12 quid/day, a zone 1-2 card is 6 quid).
3/ Prepaid tickets from VisitBritain. Madame Tussauds, London cards (without travel) and Britrail passes are available here and cheaper than buying them in the UK. Give the London Eye offer a miss though - it's $2 cheaper if you book it online yourself at their website.
4/ Travelex - they guarantee that their online exchange rate quote is the best you'll find. And so far they beat my bank, the exchange place around the corner from work, and the other 'providers of travellers cheques' places I've found.
5/ Tips from "Let's go" - apparently the best ways to save dosh are to eat lots of cheap indian curries and catch buses (cheaper than the tube). Heaven help my fellow travellers, but okay...
What did we do before we had the internet??
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Clearing Out...
My friend Belinda reckons the best bit about planning an extended overseas trip is resigning from your job. I reckon it's going through your old work emails, making sure you don't leave anything too terrible for others to find, and having a wee reminisce.
Here are some of the things people have sent me over the past 18 months that, in some way, sum up some aspect of my life (at work and after hours) since September 2004...
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.
-Jennifer Unlimited-
I’ve learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you far too soon… and all the less important ones just never go away.
I’ve learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you’ve finished.
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that you better have a big willy, or huge boobs. (Ideally, not both.)
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
There is always one more imbecile than you counted on. (So much for my philosophy that ‘there are no stupid questions’.)
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
You should not confuse your career with your life.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
Your friends love you anyway.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car. (hmmmm)
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a Horrible Warning.
From www.theage.com.au Wednesday April 6, 2005
Hong Kong's expatriate community has been amused by a ship in Victoria Harbor:
emblazoned across its stern is the name Titan Uranus.
Here are some of the things people have sent me over the past 18 months that, in some way, sum up some aspect of my life (at work and after hours) since September 2004...
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.
-Jennifer Unlimited-
I’ve learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you far too soon… and all the less important ones just never go away.
I’ve learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you’ve finished.
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that you better have a big willy, or huge boobs. (Ideally, not both.)
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
There is always one more imbecile than you counted on. (So much for my philosophy that ‘there are no stupid questions’.)
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
You should not confuse your career with your life.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
Your friends love you anyway.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car. (hmmmm)
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a Horrible Warning.
From www.theage.com.au Wednesday April 6, 2005
Hong Kong's expatriate community has been amused by a ship in Victoria Harbor:
emblazoned across its stern is the name Titan Uranus.
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