Munich has graffiti (part 2)
-- location: Kultfabrik on FriedenstraΓe, Munich near Ostbahnhof.

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@vvmunich-blog
Munich has graffiti (part 2)
-- location: Kultfabrik on FriedenstraΓe, Munich near Ostbahnhof.
Munich has graffiti (part 1) -Β
Graffiti is not something that you can easily find in city like Munich. For those who has never been here, despite its laid back atmosphere, the Bavarian capital is as straitlaced as you can get when it comes to 'defacing' public space (read: cleanliness), unlike say... Berlin. Yet, this space at Kultfabrik*Β has them all.
During the night, this area is full of night clubs and whatnots. Funny thing is, Kultfabrik won't be high on the list of 'places to go' for your night amusement, in fact most likely you'd hear something along the line of..."Whatever you do, don't bother going to Kultfabrik."Β Now I'm not sure what that 'advise' meant since I've never been here at night. During the day, however, it's different story. It gave me the eerie feeling of being in Vegas in daylight... it is that sad. Except that maybe Kultfabrik offered less glitter than the sin city.Β
-- All photos were taken using iPhone fΓΌnf.
*Β Kultfabrik is located on FriedenstraΓe near Ostbanhnof.Β
Looking back at April --
Some visual reminiscence of my recent trip in Greece. Β
On random acts of kindness
It is official. After eight weeks of βmeditating on crutchesβ, I have finally received the nod from the doctor to rid of them crutches. Thereβs definitely no lost love between us, especially not when my wrists end up suffering more than my broken ankle, hence the euphoric gladness on the license to roam. It may not be an ultimate pass for I still have to wear an Air Cast when doing all types of outdoor adventure, but one thing at a timeβ¦ Iβm realistic that way ;-)
So is there any lesson to learn from this non-adventure? You bet.
Plenty of takeaway that I could draw from being immobile for a long period of time; yes, if you know me well enough eight weeks not being able to go places is a big deal. One of them is learning how extremely rewarding to receive a random acts of kindness in public. For what itβs worth, I think the world just doesnβt give enough credits to the Germans. I particularly found that people in Munich, I couldnβt tell whether theyβre Bavarians or not, were unexpectedly quick to lend a hand when they came across people with disability; or in my case using crutches. Such act of kindness also extends to public servants, including taxi drivers, a rarity if you ever live in city like Paris for example (Yea, there I said it!). Not only were they willing to assist in ensuring my maximum comfort but some even took the extra miles to deposit myself safely door to door. A greatly appreciated gesture especially when youβre traversing over knee-deep snow on crutches.
Such generosity always struck me as being the most obvious thing to do, that practicing kindness and beauty should be a natural expression of who we are. Alas, although wonderful in its intention, there appears to be some misunderstanding about it, particularly on the practice random acts of kindness part, that in certain place somewhere such action might make them apprehensive or distrustful. Sadly, this speaks more about the suspicious world we live in than about the nature of kindness in itself.
Perhaps it is the use of the word βrandomβ that invite doubts, if not downright misleading. I wonder if it would be easier had we used the word spontaneous or impulsive instead. Spontaneity means we are acting on an impulse, in the moment, freely. Particularly that we are moved to do something for someone without any thought of receiving anything in return. Such behavior is surely the ground of a healthy society, where we happily give of ourselves to help another, especially when such an act is gladly received.
Now Iβm not referring to any grand gesture of any kind, but a simple act like holding the door when you trudging on crutches goes a long way, trust me. But what stops us from acting this way? Invariably is it our insecurities, lack of self-esteem and self-love, doubt and inadequacies? And could the same qualities also stop us from being able to freely receive? Iβm just tossing a coin here, but I reckon if we feel unworthy then we believe we have nothing to give; if we donβt love ourselves then we donβt trust why someone would be kind to us. We may fear that if someone gives without reason that they actually want something from us, or that they have an ulterior motive.
Luckily for me, I was always short on the talent of playing βpoliticβ when it comes to interaction with other human being. Some would even call this viewpoint downright naive especially since I profoundly believe that mankind is basically good nature by design. I found being suspicious, erecting walls around oneself, and to always have tricks on the ready is simply exhausting. Life is too short to be spent devising an βagendaβ for every possible future encounter we might experience.
We may feel we have little to offer, but hey whether it is a few pennies or a whole bankroll, a cup of tea or a ten minutes of keen listening is irrelevant - it is the act of giving itself that is important. I know that Iβm happiest when giving, but to my surprise, exposing myself to some vulnerabilities of receiving is extremely rewarding in itself.
The world ainβt all sunshine and rainbows. Itβs a very mean and nasty place and I donβt care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ainβt about how hard ya hit. Itβs about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. Thatβs how winning is done!
Rocky Balboaβs Inspirational Speech To His Son.
March in Pictures -- Here. There. Everywhere.Β
Meditation on Crutches...
Last Saturday marked the 2nd week milestones of my broken ankle, which means I have at least four more weeks to go before I can get rid of this bloody cast.... and free to be silly again. Okay, I still have to do some physiotherapy afterward, but I'm nothing if not optimistic. Of course, missing a check-up was definitely not smart (it wasn't on my calendar!), so this time I'm putting this on my to-do list for the week.Β
One of the 'highlight', for want of a better word, of my being less mobile is to actually be able to slow down and getting my morning meditation ritual back on track. The fact that I can't just jump out of bed actually force me to wake up slowly and mentally aligned my mind before starting my day. Granted, I wasn't able to sit cross legged due to my cast, so my becomingΒ ζιζΒ is still pretty far fetched. ;-)
Being on crutches also means you're pretty much confined to stay indoor. And living on the 2nd floor apartment with no access to elevator is enough to deter my longing for basking under the sun. The thought of slipping on an icy and snow covered road put another dent on my enthusiasm. What this means is another level of dependency to do even the simplest and most mundane thing, like buying grocery for example. There's only so much thing you could ask your housekeeper or friends to do you favor. I always feel uncomfortable asking for favor. But rather than learning on how to be comfortable asking for help (yea, I'm on it), I decided to help myself... and discover the convenience of online grocery shopping.
There are couple of pretty well stocked online grocery shop, but my favorite isΒ Bringmeister by Tengelmann/Kaiser, one of the biggest supermarket chain in Germany. While everything is set in German, the site is easy enough to navigate for someone whose German is pretty much non-existent like myself.Β
And because having a choice is sometimes a good thing, here's a list of online grocery site I found that has pretty decent stock...
Basic by Biowelt
Naturekost Strohmaier
Get Grocery ~ specialize in Indian grocery/food
All You Need
I am not a big fan of their website UX though, which is probably why I have yet to engage in any business them. Not having the site in English version I can understand, but for the site to be done in Flash is just unforgivable. That means people like me can't cheat and use Google Translate to decipher the language ;-)
The convenience part is just getting better because you can pay on delivery using your local EC Card (Debit) and they will automatically update the total sum if the item that you order is found out of stock by the time it's due for delivery. Even thoughΒ Bringmeister doesn't offer same day delivery, you can always schedule it for the next day. And best of all, they do delivery on Saturday, which is a pretty big deal in Germany for even the Deutsche Post doesn't consider Saturday a working day.
Well Munich, you ain't too shabby after all...
4000 hours and counting...
A friend recently asked why I kept counting the point in time of my living in Munich in matter of hours instead of months like normal people do. To which I reply,"Well, if by now you still think that I'm 'normal' then you obviously failed in getting to know the real me." Β --Β I ceased to take offense when people simply unable to pinpoint which label to use when interacting with me. Not that I cared much one way or another.Β
But to go back to the point of keeping time using hours, it is simple because so much things happens in the span of an hour. And to simply lump sum them into monthly bracket made me felt as if I deliberately shoving aside certain moments, no matter how unriveting they might be. Not that I meticulously keep a minute-by-minute journal either. We agreed that I'm not the kind who kept daily journal. The mere existence of this blog started to become a joke anyway. All because of its irregular feeds and not for the lack of inspiring eventualities.Β
Four thousands hours, twenty four weeks, and one hundred sixty eight days later... so much things happened.Β Victories achieved, adventures mischievously experienced, andΒ mistakes gloriously made... but nothing, nothing would've prepared me for the upcoming six weeks in limited mobility.Β Moving about in crutches while allowing my broken ankle to heal proves to be more mentally challenging, not to mention insulting, than anything physical. Granted, I could use an easier way going up and down staircase.Β
I am not even sure if there is lesson to be learnt in all this. Does this mean I should slow down? Contemplating the meaning of life? Or should I just shrugged the whole thing off? After all, it's only a broken bones, not a life-threatening disease or anything. So yea... Life goes on. I still have work to do. Plus, the universe doesn't care one whit about you, it's designed for far greater purpose than worrying about shit like this. Of that, at least I could take some consolation. Still, what a helluva way to set foot into the seventh months of my living in Germany...Β
A Tale of Two Crutches
I finally understood the significance of the saying βShit Happensβ that I occasionally saw written on a bumper sticker. Ironic because it took a broken ankle with multiple fractures to drive its meaning home. Accidents just happen sometimes. And nothing wouldβve been able to prepare me for the fall that I was about to take that fateful Saturday morning two days ago. One moment you were happily chatting with friend on the way to brunch, and the next moment you wondered what the heck had just happened. Realizing only too late that you just fell few flights down the stairs. And it wasnβt as if thereβs anything particularly hazardous on the stairs either. So yea, shit happens.
It hurts like a sonofobitch. Iβve been breaking some bones before. It comes with the territory as some friends would say, due to my affinity toward adrenaline-junkie types of sports. So itβs not like this is a new thing for me. What is new is the reason, a rather mundane one at that. Nothing epic or spectacular. No ninjas to fight against, and definitely no David Bowie in sight that warrant my drawing any weapons.
Two hours and many miles of limping later I eventually gave up and accepted my friend suggestion to swing by a nearby hospital and have my ankle examined. I wasnβt sure whether keeping myself in blissful ignorance would be preferable than knowing the truth.
Now, I shanβt recount every single step of the subsequent hospital procedure and medical treatment, my first in Germany if I might add, but in any case, all along I was impressed and moved by how I was being βprocessedβ with both swift efficiency and much, much kindness. ~ Unlike that jerk of a doctor that I encountered back in London last year. The Germans, won this round by miles.
Still I gotta give it to the Germans though for even after βwhistling admiringlyβ upon seeing my multiple fractures on X-Ray and said, βSchreckliche BrΓΌcheβ, they still manage to see some bright side, βWell, at least the ankle is not dislocated.β A true understatement.
Stay tuned for my next round of adventure after the ankle surgeryβ¦
We don't serve irony here, but we've got all kinds of beer.
Heinrich Heine - 'Journey from Munich to Genoa'
Meet the @frogdesign ladies on the way to Oktoberfest in Munich wearing our pretty dirndlβ¦
In the immense solitude of these mountains, with the great bare summits all about us breasting distant reaches of sky, I felt completely liberated from my own desires. I was content with the physical sensation of the present.Β
This present, as insistent as the winds tugging at our clothes and as intense as the pain in every fiber of my muscles, were so wonderful to me that I could think of nothing else. In this vast silence place, I felt dwarfed and insignificant.Β
It is not possible to have reasonable ground for not believing in miracles.
Pascal (PensΓ©es)
1000 Hours
Before I knew it, I've let 1000hours passed by without me realizing that I've been in Europe for nearly seven weeks. What's different about this mark was that I spent it in Piemonte, Italy, hiking and rock climbing with my mate; and not in Bavaria like the previous 720hours.Β
Why counting the hours, you asked? Well, no reason really, except as a self-reminder to what I've been up to until then. And making sure that I did my best to enjoy the experience in that particular moment in time. Was I up to no good? You bet I did ;-)
Toodle dip...Β
Ferrata del Limbo
Since living in Munich I started to get used to waking up on Monday morning with my muscles screaming blue murderβ¦ this time I had the last minute weekend trip in Italy to thank for. What was supposed to be a lazy weekend at my friendβs family vineyard in Piemonte was turned into something more rigorous that involved, among others, mountain hiking and rock climbing under shower of pellets of frozen rain and snow.
Hoping to escape the rainy Bavarian weather only to be greeted by chilly 14C temperature upon arriving in Piemonte was rather heart-sinkingly disappointing. There I was, staying at della Rocchettaβs beautiful family estate in the foothill of the Biellese Alps yet unable to escape the frigid weather, ironic really. Though that didnβt stop us from enjoying the five-stars view from the terraceβ¦ even if we had to huddle under a thick blanket.
Given the unpredictability of the weather forecast in the Alps region, we decided to abandon any hope of careful planning and simply play-it-by-ear to see what the morning brings and see if hiking could be in the itinerary.
Morning came pretty much with heavy shower that blanketed parts of Biellese Alps with snow. And somewhere around those peaks lies Il Monte Mucrone, the mountain we decided to scale.
Due to our late start, we arrived at the foothill of Monte Mucrone around 3pm and decided to skip the walk from the mountain base by hopping on the cable car from Oropa up to the Mucrone Lake that took us to 1900m of altitude. The Mucrone Lake itself is basically a basin of glacial origin set in a hollow between Monte Mucrone and Monte Rosso, and can usually be reached in a quarter of an hourβs easy walk. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by legion of mountain goats having feeding frenzy around the lake.
Forty five minutes of fast pace hiking through slippery rocks and icy water, while hail pouring over our heads, took us to the foot of Via Ferrata del Limbo, or otherwise known as the βIron Walk between Heaven and Hellβ. Categorized under T3 difficulty level according to the Switzerland Alpine Hike mountaineering ratings, Ferrata del Limbo is basically a 300+ meters upward ascent with fixtures, steps and aerial crossings and can usually be covered around 2hours. However, since neither of us had done this particular path (with myself being complete beginner in rock climbing), it took us nearly three hours to reach the peak.
Looking at the iron steps nailed on the vertical rock was enough to give me doubt about ever reaching the peak before dark, especially for an Acrophobic like myself. Yeah, jumping off the plane is one thing, but climbing roofs let alone rocky mountains ainβt exactly something that made me exclaim with joy. To add suspense to my growing weariness, my friend later confessed (while we were already half way up), that he was suffering from vertigo and rock climbing was his way to face his fear. βBrilliant,β I muttered silently, βhere we go two people both afraid of heights attempting to scale Colle del Limbo.β
The vast amphitheater-like base was basically the start of our ascent that relies on the groove that leads to Colle del Limbo. The strike begun more or less in mid-channel, on the right wall. Being a lefty, I found it rather challenging trying to clip my harness with frozen fingers of my right hand, which is pretty much how the iron pikes laid out along the rocks.
It took me only few minutes of climbing to realize that ascending while icy water trickling down the rock was a bad idea, and I could probably end up committing murder IF we ever made it alive from here. A first vertical section, a very slippery one if I might add, was soon followed by a steep stretch that flows into a sort of chimney, a dihedral angle that continues on askew steps that wasnβt easy to navigate. I swore that the distance between the iron steps was designed for someone over 6 feet tall with a mile long legs!
After a sequence of movements over short partition of rocks and chimneys, we were faced with overhanging cliffs in some places that offered little footholds, and it required some serious upper body strength to heave ourselves upward. Not an easy feat considering that I practically had no biceps strengths. It was simply sheer stubbornness that got me through the ordeal.
Having started the day with only a cup of espresso and yoghurt (and a bit of chocolate along the way), I was simply running on pure adrenaline from this point forward.
The second part was less harsh but with hail pouring over us, our visibility was dramatically reduced, and gripping the iron pikes became a game of slippery-when-wet on steroids. And I hate to admit that I literally got stuck midway and had to ask for assistance to leap over the next slit of rock. I promised you it wasnβt elegant at all but hey, beggar canβt be choosy. And in this case, I was a very poor one.
The third segment was the shortest, but characterized by the so-called Tibetan Bridge Dancer, which is basically consist of three unaligned cables stretch over a cliff with sheer drop to nothingness if one is not strap onto a harness. The lower part of the cable was laid in rather offset position that it sways enough when you made sudden jolt of movement. Not exactly a thing to do for the faint hearted.
From this point, you could almost see the initial start of the pre-peak, which could be reached in less than half an hour in sprinting hike amidst some giant boulder of rocks.
Located in the Province of Biella in Piedmont region in Northern Italy, the highest peak of Monte Mucrone is accounted at 2,335 meters above sea level. Given our dismal preparation and meager ration (two blocks of chocolate that we only ate one, and a bottle of water), I must say that we did pretty wellβ¦ especially considering the fact that we had to race downhill upon descent in pitch dark and managed not to slip and breaking any bones. My iPhone was proof rather useful as a Torchβ¦ for about 10 minutes before it completely gave up under the rainy assault. Armed with only LED head lamp that offer no help in determining which path offered safe passage, I decided to abandon it all together and simply follow my friendβs footsteps closely and hoping that my night vision would help me along the way. At this point, I couldnβt even fathom the idea of missing the cable car to take us back to the base station and having to walk for another hour under icy rain in the dark. It was poor visibility that slow me down upon descent as I wasnβt sure of where the next footing will led me. It could either be a rock or slippery grass in which slipping was just a matter of when not if.
It wasnβt until we were aboard the cable car, around 9.30pm, that I realized the holy shit moment of being able to deal with my fear of heights and experienced flow. I might not passed with flying colour but at least for once I didnβt utter my usual βWTF am I doing hereβ lines during the whole course as I was too busy plotting the next step trying to secure safe footing while hanging on for dear life. Literally.
And in an ideal world, after all those brave adventure, it was only fair to conjure up a vision of cozy cabin awaiting us with warm fire and a cup of hot chocolate β or a glass of Scotch, depending on whoβs telling the story, but since you were in mine, then hot chocolate it is. Alas that was just it, an utopia.
Oh there was a cabin alright⦠a very nice one in fact, except that we had to get the fire going ourselves before the warming up part became a reality.
All in all, waking up the next day to a view like this awaited us outside our cabin was definitely worth all the painsβ¦
Even if I doubt I would repeat the experience any time soon, I was glad that at least I didnβt end up committing any murder. Itβd have made a rather messy Sunday otherwiseβ¦
Bombenstimmung
So my Tuesday was started with a blast... almost literally. Apparently a bomb was found in downtown Munich, roughly about a kilometer away from where I live. A legacy from the World War 2, the 250kg aerial bomb was discovered under what used to be Munich's popular club called Schwabinger 7. To think that all those people were so obliviously happy partying away unaware that they were hanging out atop a bomb that could goes off anytime. Who would've thought that life in Munich can be this exciting, eh?
Here's the lowdown of the Bombenstimmung in details (sorry, it's in German only), but if you really curious Der Spiegel also has the English coverage here. Of course, this being in Germany, the police won't take chance so they need to make sure that those living near the vicinity of the bomb will be evacuated. That means they actually had to widen the No-Go radius, and it nearly include the street where I live. The zone stopped just on the adjacent street next to mine. Phew! Still I have to say the local government did a great job evacuating more than 2500 people in such a short notice without a fuss.Β
The downside of this hubbub was frog Munich studio is located right in the middle of the No Go area, which means no access to the office all day. I would've welcome the opportunity to work from homeΒ had I not left my laptop at work... so crappy progress today means extra load on the morrow. But at leastΒ theΒ BombenstimmungΒ story got a happy ending. It was finally detonated, and my mate and I could hear the explosion for miles while sipping tea from my balcony.
So what lesson could I take from today's event, you asked? Well, for a start, I need to start taking my German lesson seriously. It was rather annoying not being able to understand the Police announcement while they're making round in the neighbourhood earlier. All I could gather was,"Achtung... Achtung!" And I reckon such pitiful command of German won't be enough to survive the nextΒ Bombenstimmung...
-- PS.Β BombenstimmungΒ aside, I finally received my EU Residency Card today. Yay. This means that I'm officially legal.Β
When Frogs meet Barbie
Last Saturday, I went for picnic and barbie* with some frogs and few friends of mine at the Isar river. Okay, the locals here pretty much call this part of the river "Isar Beach" even though it's technically a river. Coming from Australia, my idea of a beach is pretty much consist of a sandy strip along the coast by the sea. Apparently, the Bavarians has different idea.Β
However, after experiencing picnic at Flauchersteg first hand, I had to admit that the idea of being able to enjoy picnic, barbie and canoeing in the city was not too shabby at all. So much so that I nearly talked myself into buying an inflatable canoe just so that I could paddle up and down the icy river whenever the fancy took place. Fortunately, it was one of those moment when temporary lapse of insanity overwhelmed you. Like shopping online in midnight only to wake up the next day cursing,"WTF was I thinking buying all those crap?" I had my friend to thank me from saving me from my last minute impulse.
-- *Aussie slang for barbecueΒ Β