Update!

It's been too long - but to be honest, life has become a little too full for regular posts.
Still, here's a quick update.

- The job. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. It's a rollercoaster, but I am finding my way, and it's an exciting challenge.
- The city. Munich doesn't have the same old-fashioned charme that I love about Vienna, but there's a reason it is called Italy's northernmost city. It's got a bit of everything: Art & Music, Architecture, beautiful green spaces, BIKE LANES everywhere, hip bars, funky little stores, and diverse neighborhoods. I miss my home, but I like it here!
- The boyfriend. He caught me by surprise, but it's definitely been the best surprise so far.
- The place. Turning my 26 m2 gigantic room into a home took a while, but I love it now. It's got everything from a comfy bed to a sunny breakfast area, and I can hear the birds chirping while I munch on my cornflakes in the morning.
- Bedtime habits. It turns out I love to sleep. And I need to sleep - a lot. Ever since I've started working, there's nothing better than an early night with a good book. I'm getting old.

All in all, life's been pretty exciting for the past three months. And I do not intend for this fact to change anytime soon!

Fishy Valentine

Yes, I've arrived in Munich. Yes, I've started a job. And yes, I love it. But life's too full and busy (and good) to document it all here. That's why, for today, I leave you with one of my favorite comic strips. Enjoy!

Long-term love

At first, we were only acquaintances. I ran into her every couple of years, thought she was more of the snobbish, stand-offish type. She was quite the stunner, but pretty rough 'round the edges.

Then, I got to know her from the inside. I discovered all kinds of hidden qualities - amazing cooking skills, a great taste in art and music, and her style wasn't too shabby either. Also, she kept surprising me with new sides of her personality. I had come to know her as the classic type, a bit old-fashioned maybe, with a touch of kitsch. But as the years went by, she turned out to be quite diverse - sometimes elegant and poised, sometimes loud and sassy, sometimes hectic, and sometimes completely serene.

Today, me and Vienna are tight. I know her well, and I've discovered her most beautiful facets. I know that she will continue developing and evolving, but at the same time it's comforting to know that regardless of where life will lead me, she'll always remain essentially the same, waiting for me with a cup of steaming hot chocolate, the sounds of hooves on cobblestone, and her grumpy charme.

And on a day like today, when I walk through her back allies and majestic boulevards, along breathtaking buildings and all kinds of beauty, she makes me fall in love with her all over again.

Done, done, and done!

Just turned 92 pages of wisdom in to my professor - the result of seven months of work. Amy says it feels like giving birth through your head ... I'd rather attribute the woozy feeling in my brain to the massive cold that hit me right at the end of a month-long nonstop cramming session.

So, lets recap, shall we?

Masters thesis ... check.
Job ... check.
Pearly-white, brace-less teeth ... check.
Apartment ... working on it.
Farewell party ... in the making.

The new year has started well. I've had no time for the obligatory 2007 review / 2008 preview post, but there is still hope.

Ten days until I move to Munich. Somehow life is pretty exciting.

Changes, changes

Yikes! This all happened fast. A week ago, I went to Munich thinking I'd use the opportunity to practise interviewing, and here I am, officially in possession of my first job.

Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm their's.

Funny how life sometimes takes unexpected turns, and suddenly you find yourself in a job you would have never considered, in a city that was never on your "Need to move there" list, and with a perspective on the next couple of years that is entirely different from what you had thought of. If you had asked me a few months, or even a few weeks ago, I would have told you something along the lines of "I am going to New York to change the world". Now, I am moving to the city of giant pretzels and beer in less than six weeks, and it's more myself that will develop and change within the next few years. However, changing the world is still at the top of my list, and I consider all the sales and management experience that I will get in the next few years a step in that direction.

The reality of it all hasn't quite hit me yet, and I would be lying if I said that I am not nervous and a little apprehensive. On the other hand, I got this job all by myself, and for the first time in my life I'm on my own, looking to build my life independently of anyone else.

I have a feeling that it will be a good experience.

Coming up...

1) A new brother-in law in July next year. Anna and Alfonso got engaged a month ago, and this is how happy they are:


One thing is for sure: Their kids will be very, very skinny.


2) More decisions. One job offer is on the table, another one is in the works. They are entirely different (foreign policy/press and online media monitoring/sales), and there might be more coming up. One job possibly involves moving cities, the other one has very little to do with what I studied. And amidst it all, I am trying to finish my thesis and figure out whether I really want to put my interest in transforming society aside for the sake of getting some job experience and making some money.

Stem Cell Breakthrough

Following up on Saturday's Dolly story, here is another encouraging piece of news: Two separate teams of scientists in the US have apparently found a way to reprogram adult stem cells in a way that makes them pluripotent, meaning that they can turn into any kind of body cell. This was a characteristic that has so far been specific to embryonic stem cells, which was the main argument for ongoing research in that area, despite the moral issues. They have run successful tests with human cells, not animal cells - if this really works, all the arguments for ES research might be going down the drain as we speak.