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Showing posts from 2016

Anke goes Vegan

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First things first, I’m really good at this blogging thing. Such consistent content and so eloquently written. You can really tell that I'm studying linguistics. Anyway, this might be interesting for some of you, and after posting two political blog posts I feel like I should write about a topic that's a little lighter, like animal slaughter for example. Yes, I’m a vegan now. And yes, I have an abundance of tote bags. Don't ask me why, but whenever I hear the word „vegan“ I think of tote bags. And no, this is not going to be a blog post where I shame y'all for eating meat. The word „vegan“ has a whole lot of negative connotations. People immediately assume that I’ll lecture them about animal abuse and such. I don't mind people eating a steak in front of me, and yet they feel bad for eating meat when I’m around. And not because I have to witness it, but because they feel bad for the animal. It’s like I’m the personified bad conscience that you usuall

10 Reasons Why Wearing a Burkini Hinders You From Integrating in Society.

1. You don't get skin cancer and turn bright red like the rest of us. 2. We can't see that tramp stamp you got in your younger years and therefore can't make fun of you. 3. 60-year-old men in speedos don't aggressively flirt with you and comment on the size of your breasts. 4. You don't get sand stuck all over your body causing you to scratch yourself all the time. 5. You're faster swimmers thanks to the full body suit, giving you an unfair advantage when you want to get out of the pool as soon as you see that 60-year-old man approaching. 6. We can't see whether you shaved you legs or not, so we can't shame you for either of these two choices. 7. We can't see your varicose veins or scars from giving birth, so we can't shame you for either of these two "imperfections." 8. We can't see if you're one of those weirdos who have an outie belly button. Those things are gross. 9. Grandmas can't complain abo

#Brexit

I hate being right. At least today I do. Yesterday I told my roommate that the UK will vote 52-48 in favor of leaving. Well, as it turns out I can see in the future. Yay me. As sad as I am about the results of last night, I'm not going to insult/condemn anyone. At least I'll try not to. First up, I know as much about politics as about 80% of the people, which is little to nothing. Second, this is not about what you voted for. It's about why you voted for whatever it is you voted for. The following is only my opinion, and I'm not saying that it's necessarily the right opinion, but it's mine and this is my blog so deal with it. Also, I know that I'm pretty much completely leaving out the economic side of things. Cause I know nothing about that either. Except that I should go and spend some money on amazon.co.uk right now. I'm just someone who studies cultures and languages and sociology. I have big ideas and big beliefs about pretty much

The Power of Music, Part II

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I don't think I've ever been to two concerts within the span of not even a week. It kind of feels like I had a week off of everything, and it feels surreal to think about how much has happened the last seven days.   Brian Fallon and the Crowes, Live Music Hall, Cologne 2016 Anyway, after an incredible Frank Turner gig at the Lucerna Music Hall in Prague last Thursday, I went to see Brian Fallon play at the Live Music Hall (see the theme?) in Cologne yesterday. And although I'm constantly comparing these two nights in my head, I wouldn't be able to say which one was better. They were completely different, but both were amazing in their own way. While Frank's show was all about the dancing and singing along (crappily), Brian's gig had more of a relaxed feeling to it. I gotta say that yesterday's crowd was the quietest I've ever seen, and I can't exclude myself from that, but somehow we all seemed to still feel the Monday blues. Even

The Power of Music

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Connecting with people, no matter where they come from.  Setting aside all the differences we might have and bonding over the simple fact that we like the same songs. Last week I finally managed to visit a friend of mine again. And surprisingly, not much has changed over the last four years. Laura and I first met while we were both studying in Los Angeles, which was all the way back in 2010. Funnily enough we didn't get along too well when we first met each other. I think we both thought that the other person was kind of arrogant.  But after talking for a couple of minutes we realized that our first impressions of each other couldn't be further from the truth, and we became best friends in a matter of days. When we had to get back to our home countries we swore to visit each other as often as possible, but as always, life happened.   Prague, 2011 A year after we came back from the U.S., Laura asked me if I wanted to come to Prague for this music festiva

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Easy Recipe

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds out there! I hope you spend the day with people you care about, either your significant other or your friends and family :) As someone who was never in a relationship on Valentine's Day, I get that it can be annoying to see all your friends being super duper happy in their relationship. But remember, bitterness doesn't help or change the situation. Instead, try to be happy for them, even if they act like 14-year-old teenagers ;) Anyway, if you are still looking for a last minute gift, or if you simply have a craving for chocolate, these cookies might be just what you were looking for! This recipe makes enough cookies for one baking tray, which equals about 9 large cookies . They are easy to make and only take about 20 minutes of your time. So let's get started! Ingredients: 125g or half a cup of butter 125g or half a cup of brown sugar 1 egg 180g or 3/4 cup of plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla s

Why Can't We Just Be Happy For One Another?

Last week a friend of mine got offered a seriously great job. A job that I would one day like to have. And instead of being happy for her, I secretly wished that she didn't get it. So that I was still the one having the “cooler” job. It's hard to admit, but I was envious and didn't wish her all the best , a saying that we all know too well. Once I realized what I was thinking, I felt stupid. More than stupid, I felt like I was kind of betraying her. For not wishing her happiness and success. For not being a good friend. But why did I feel this way, even if it was only for a second? Was it because I felt like she was doing better than me? Or maybe it wasn't really about her being happy, but it was rather about me being unhappy?? I think her getting the job and doing something with her life left me questioning myself and what I was doing. It made me realize that I am not where I want to be yet. Not that I know what I want to do with my life, at least not in detail

Harry Styles Isn't Your Boyfriend

On the off chance that he is your boyfriend, don't read this and continue doing what you're doing. But if he isn't, keep on reading. Recently, I was catching up on the fourth season of New Girl, when Nick (a character in the series, if you didn't know already) said something that made me think. “The problem with Jordan Catalano? He isn’t real!” For all of you younger than 25, or for anyone who hasn't watched My So-Called Life , Jordan Catalano (played by a very young Jared Leto) is the popular kid in high school, adored by basically every female in the whole school. He's the typical romantic figure of every romantic movie/series/book ever written. He's popular, arrogant, the prototypical bad boy. Who falls in love with the wallflower who lived unnoticed by the male sex up until that moment. And it turns out that Jordan isn't all   that bad. What a surprise. Anyway, back to the quote. As much fun as it is to get lost in thinking about be

20 Perks of Being Short

Since y'all seemed to like my 20 Struggles of Being Short post, I decided to write a 20 Perks of Being Short follow up. Hope you like it, and if you do please let me know in the comments! :) 1. After a party at your friends house, you can comfortably sleep on their couch if you don't want to / can't go home. You can basically nap anywhere you want! 2. Short girls always seem younger, meaning when you're 35 you'll finally be able to be happy about it. 3. You'll always have leg room while travelling economy class on planes or trains!! 4. When you're at a concert, more often than not people will let you go in front of them. It's also a great conversation starter! (I met a couple of people at concerts who let me go in front of them and who I then became friends with :)) 5. You can shop in the children's section. Although you wouldn't wear most of the clothes, you can usually find something that you like. Some stores even sell

20 Struggles Of Being Short

If you know me in real life, you know that I am not the tallest person. More like the opposite. Being 5'1" or about 1,55m means that you are, what do people call it, vertically challenged?! Nice phrase. Anyway, here are some struggles I have encountered over time. 1. The obvious one: Being so small that people mistake you for a child. All. The. Time. 2. On that note: Having to show your ID even though you are 25 years old. (Remember, alcohol is served in Germany from the age of 16...) 3. Having to sit on a pillow while driving, because otherwise you can't see above the wheel. 4. Alternatively, having to put a pillow between your back and the seat. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to reach the pedals, even though you moved the seat to the very front of the car. 5. Not being cut out for certain jobs. You won't ever be a model. Or a pilot. Or a flight attendant. Or a police officer. And so on and so forth. 6. Not being able to play certain musical

Things Only Cat Owners Will Understand

If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know what I’m talking about.   1 . You don’t need to worry about chaos on your table, your cat will always clear it up. By throwing everything that doesn’t belong on it under the couch. Like your pen. Or your glasses. 2. You cannot eat a meal without your cat staring at you and not-so-secretly judging you. 3. You buy a whole box of your cat’s favorite food, before she decides that she doesn’t like that flavor any more.    4. You would like to play with your cat during the day, but she decides that 2 a.m. is a way better time for having fun. 5. You don’t need to turn on the heating, your cat will make sure that you are not freezing. By laying on you. Even in the summertime. Just to make sure. 6 . Your cat will help you study. By laying on your laptop. Or your notes. We don’t want them to go anywhere, do we?! 7. Your cat will make sure that you are always covered in fur. So that you are not freezing, again. 8 . Yo

Expectation vs Reality

Hello internet, my best friend from high school got engaged a few months ago. Last month I met another high school friend who told me that she was engaged. And a couple days later my little brother told me that he was engaged. See the pattern here? Although I am beyond happy for all of them, it made me think. My old friend seems to live the life I always thought I would live: house, job, fiancĂ©, dog. Basically I thought that at 25 I would be totally grown up, living an independent life and being a reasonable adult who knows where she wants to be in the near future. Yet here I am, clueless as ever and with a height of 5’1” I’m far from being grown up, literally and metaphorically. As a teenager I absolutely loved Gilmore Girls , and Rory seemed to have her life figured out, so I thought making a list would be a great idea. So, here goes nothing. Proof that I am an adult: I live on my own. Okay, I have a flatmate. But still. I have a cat. It’s basically

Hello Internet...

...here I go again. Very original first sentence. 10 points for that. Anyhow, first things first. Technically, this isn't even my first post. As you can see I've been updating quite often until 2012, until life kind of got in the way and I simply had no time for blogging. But in the past year I got the urge to post stuff again, so I thought New Years Day would be the perfect opportunity to give it another shot. (On another note, yes, I switched from writing in German to writing in English.) I don’t know if anyone will read this, or if anyone is interested in what I have to say – which is basically nothing new – but I figured that it might be good for me to start writing down things that have been happening – or not happening – in my life, even if I am the only one who will ever read this. So… what made me want to (re)start my blog, you ask? Honestly, I don’t know. I think I need a space be able to write down everything that’s happening in my life, my thoughts