#unorganised

[thatpollguy]

Is your computer desktop currently covered in random files?

Yes

No

I don't have a computer

Voting ended onFeb 16

[missiru]

Medina Studio apartment

Credit to all effort and dedication of content creator.

[thetwiceexceptional]

how untidy are you from a scale of 1 to I found a cockroach in my backpack and it’s now on my bed wrapped in used paper because i’m too lazy to through it out 

[fuyuriouka]

Personal Babble...

So, I REALLY wanted, dare I say, WAS DYING for a 4*star vampire Tsubasa card...

I pulled 6 gachas because I'm NOT risk taker and i got no one.... You know the feeling when you got no one after using so many jewels... yeah i felt that (TдT)

So I tried again like it was the only day Tsubasa's rate was up quite a lot so I tried once more...

I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN I SAW WHO I GOT!!!

TWO 4* CARDS AND ONE 3* CARD!!! (✽ ﾟдﾟ ✽)

I'm so happy!!! Ignore my babble if you wish too!! (ﾉ´∀｀*) I know I am cheap with my jewels but you NEVER KNOW what Tsukipara will throw out next...

speaking of which, Growth's Re:start album cover....

Ryo is so beautiful.... so is Kou

Mamo and Ken looking fine...

CAN'T WAIT!!! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[seriously-sophie-bee]

This should be FREE!!!

If I want to understand my course and form opinions based on existing scholarly writing then I need to sleuth through the Internet to find free pdf versions of my assigned readings, download them, print them off (that’s AT LEAST 200 pages per class) and file them into order.

These readings are mandatory.

Why can’t the course organiser compile all the readings into one accessible document?

Why can’t the course organiser use some of the budget to print off a copy of that mass document for every student in the class?

Moreover, why do staff act disappointed in us when we say “I couldn’t get access to this week’s reading” or “I couldn’t print it off”?

Do they realise how much time it takes to find a free version of the reading online in clear enough quality?

Do they realise how much that costs in printing?

If teaching staff prefer to issue readings instead of recommend a textbook, then shouldn’t they make sure they’re accessible and affordable?

Textbooks are a joke as well by the way, they should be free - have you seen the price of some of those things?!

[indizombie]

Rajasthan has the highest number of mine leases (close to 35,000 mines, according to a 2015 report by the Department of Mines and Geology, Rajasthan), and has been at the centre of the silicosis debate in the country. A large number of its nearly 2.5 million mine-workers are under threat, with sandstone miners at even greater risk because sandstone has some of the highest quantities of silica. There were 125 confirmed cases of silicosis in Bundi in 2015, and 113 in 2016, according to government data. An occupational lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust found in rock, sand, quartz and other building materials, silicosis is incurable and deadly, but since it affects underprivileged mine workers, it remains unnoticed and mostly under-reported. Even though silicosis can be prevented through wet drilling and protective gear, most mines in Rajasthan are small-scale and unorganised, the workers are recruited informally, without contracts, and health and safety rules are not enforced. The mine owners get away with the least amount of culpability and do nothing to improve the work conditions.

Sunaina Kumar, 'There’s death in the air here: in a village in Rajasthan, silicosis caused by sand mining has reached epidemic-like levels', The Hindu

[lastminutemolnars-blog]

6. Road to Romania

It has been brought to my attention that my headings are one post ahead of the actual blog. I shall use this one as an attempt to catch up. 

Hungary was lovely. We dropped the campervan at Andre’s cousins who lived in a beautiful town on the Danube about 50km north of Budapest and headed into the city where we were fortunate enough to spend four nights in a family owned apartment in Budapest.

Our main objective of time spent in Budapest: eat some awesome food. As we had already been to Hungary in the past, we felt no need to see the sights or do the tourist things. Rather, we enjoyed city life and ate at a Michelin Star restaurant and countless other well recommended ones. 

Our food highlight from Hungary was a ‘business lunch special’ at a restaurant called Friska where we enjoyed a quality three course meal, four drinks for only $30 AUD. BARGAIN!!!

Andre’s great aunt (who speaks not a word of English) was very hospitable to us and I must say her home cooked meals were a highlight of our food adventures in Europe thus far. Although there was a massive language barrier, we now know how to count to 10 in Hungarian without mishap! 

All in all, it was lovely to meet the extended Hungarian family and we felt privileged for them to be so kind and welcoming to us. Picking up the campervan ensured we left with a fridge full of home grown fruit and veg, wine, as well as freshly made pickled goods and syrups. Thanks!

The road then took us East into Northern Romania. 

Crossing the border was somewhat uneventful compared to what we were expecting. Our first night in Romania was spent in Sapanta, which is the home to the ‘merry graveyard.’ A meal consisting of baked polenta, cheese and sour cream (YUM!), a lamb stem, salad, pancakes and a bottle of wine set us back only $25 before tucking in for the night. The graveyard was a bit wasted on us in that we unfortunately could not understand any of the tombstones or the stories (as nothing was in English). We took some photos, and off we went further East into Maramures country.

We stayed in a town called Viseu De Sus where we took a day trip into the mountain gauges on the oldest running steam train in Europe. 

Andre was very upset to learn that there was a slight communication issue when his lunch arrived and he was given a HUGE plate of cheese with a raw red onion in the middle. Now I love my cheese, but traditional Romanian cheese is somewhat hard to stomach.

The next day we spent hiking in the Rodna mountains. A grueling uphill (and more uphill) hike took us to Pietrosul Rodnei peak, standing at 2303 metres high, the tallest in the Eastern Carpathians. The hike was tough but the view from the top was amazing and made it all worthwhile. The patches of snow and the FREEZING icy breeze which also met us at the top was something we will not forget in a hurry.

Wooden monastery. The Maramures county is known for the wooden buildings they have. Also, this was the starting point of our hike. In the distance you can see our destination and the snow on the mountain (yes - it was A LONG way up). 

MADE IT!!! 2,303 metres

Cold and windy at the peak

... and snowy...

Got bogged trying to get the campervan out the next morning, but some local Romanians with a four-wheel drive helped us on our way.

Northern Romania is like travelling back in time, horse drawn carriages, standing hay racks, old school buildings and houses, no card facilities anywhere, but WOW what beautiful country side they have!

Every town you drive through (no matter how small) has a big church in it

dodgy looking electricity pole

ROAD BLOCK!!! 

Hard life for the Romanian ponies.

Kilometers driven so far: 7,547

Time away: 5 1/2 weeks

Campervan fails:

smashed a window on a very narrow street trying to get past a truck

broke the inner fly screen door (lucky it’s not hot!)

one broken window shutter

[lastminutemolnars-blog]

5. Hungry in Hungary

Thirty in Krakow was a thoroughly enjoyable day. We had a relaxing morning before going to an old school ‘Milk Bar’ type restaurant for lunch for some tasty (both sweet and savoury) and cheap perogies.

History Lesson 101: The Milk Bars in Krakow have been around since the 1800’s as a way to serve cheap and nutritious food to locals during tough times. After WWII, if you wanted to eat out in Poland you often had no choice but to eat at a Milk Bar. Due to the communist regime, the majority of normal restaurants were shut down at this time.

They are tiny, canteen style shops and you never know who will join you on your table! We then had a few afternoon drinks before a 12-course degustation for dinner. All in all, I had a lovely birthday.

The remainder of our days in Krakow were spent exploring the city on our new bicycles, eating and drinking some vodka – when in Poland! 

Krakow was surprisingly full of tourists. One street we walked down was so crowded we commented on the similarity to Las Ramblas in Barcelona.     

We contemplated getting a ride on one of the multiple (seriously, there were A LOT) horse drawn carriages but decided against it.

Our next stop was Auschwitz. We went to both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau and wow – what a surreal and confronting experience that was. To think that over 1.5 million people died there is just more than words can say.

Some more history: Auschwitz was the largest extermination centre during World War II and the only camp to be preserved to such an extent in its original condition. Located at Auschwitz are the grounds containing human ashes, ruins of gas chambers and crematoria, the places where SS doctors carried out selection, the places where Jewish (and other) families awaited death and multiple execution sites.

In total, the land size is approx 500 acres over the two camps which was quite overwhelming to us. We saw over two-tonnes of hair which had been cut from the heads of prisoners, displays with hundreds and thousands of shoes, glasses, pans, pots, bags, brushes, shoe polish and other everyday items in which proved that the prisoners just had no idea where they were going when they were deported.

From here we drove south into Slovakia to the base of the Tatra Mountains. 

The next morning rode our bikes approx 3km to the base of a chairlift which we caught to the top of the mountain. Went on a fairly tough eight-hour hike in which we saw a beautiful crystal-clear turquoise blue lake before ending up back at the bikes. Unfortunately for us, once we got up pretty high we were in the clouds and the views of the surrounding mountains were therefore limited (AKA non-existent). As you can see, this didn’t make for very good photos.

The below photo was in an Aragonite cave in Slovakia  (there are only three in the world where you can see this type of formation), just near the Hungarian border. The Aragonite is 138,000 years old. 

Next, we found an organic food and wine festival which had one day left in a town in Hungary and decided to check it out. 

Drove three hours to get here and ate some delish Hungarian food and sampled some of the local wines they produce. Still can’t find any kale though!!! As the rain seems to be chasing us on this holiday, surprise surprise at about 4pm the rain started and we called it a day.  

Traditional Hungarian dancing

Goulash

Langos - deep fried bread with garlic spread, sour cream and cheese. 

MULLED WINE!!!

Seeing as though we were already in Hungary, we decided to go and meet some of Andre’s Hungarian family, ditch the campervan and spend a few nights in Budapest. Read about this in our next blog!

The thing we have realised over the last week is there is a really strange feeling in that we have nothing to do, but yet no time to do anything.

Kilometers driven so far: unsure as the campervan is about 50km away.